Okay, here’s the deal. . . 

Statistics state that you need to connect with your customers 5–12 times a year to be remembered.   

After hearing that statistic, I asked myself, “Are you kidding, who is going to forget who they do business with?” Surprisingly, people do forget and here is an example of how that can happen . . . 

Scenario: 

Your carpets need cleaning.  The company you hired was out of the box fabulous and here’s why:

• They called a few days before their scheduled day to confirm.
• They showed up at the time the appointment was set.
• They were courteous and listened to your concerns about where all the specific carpet stains were located throughout the house.
• They moved some of the heavier pieces you could not move.
• They did a thorough job of vacuuming before they started cleaning the carpets.
• They were respectful by actually taking off their shoes during the process!
• Upon completion, they laid down plastic runners in the heavily walked areas.
• The carpet looked brand new again (well pretty close!).
• Their rates were comparable to others, but realistically for their effort and outcome, you would have paid more.  

Sounds like a fabulous carpet cleaning company to have around, right?  Fast forward ahead a year or two and it’s time for another cleaning.  

Now Here’s the Sad News:  

Because they never connected with you after that initial cleaning, you don’t remember their name, YIKES! That just cost the carpet cleaning company a potential customer for life and who knows how many referrals.  How sad to lose a customer that way?!

You may want to think about this story as a means to get motivated using some sort of follow up plan. 

Why don’t we follow up?  

As a business, “following up after a sale” is just not high on the priority list.  It’s another task we don’t have time for or maybe we just don’t know what to do.  We think it’s enough to just take care of our customers at the time they need us, oh yeah and then send them a bill.   

Why are we so bad at it?

Because it takes time, effort, planning and doesn’t bring home the bacon. Customers will still keep coming back, won’t they?  Maybe, maybe not. Don’t take that chance, it’s just too risky.

Bottom Line: 

Connect with your customers on a regular basis, they truly want to feel valued and important. They need to know that you think of them and appreciate their business.  

Another Bottom Line:  

Remember your customers and they will remember you!

The #1 reason businesses lose their customers and clients is  because they feel neglected and unappreciated.  That’s hard to swallow, but true.   

Back in the day, it was customary (mandatory too, according to Mom!) and considered good manners to send a thank you note when you received a gift, even if you personally said thank you at the time you received it.  Going the extra mile of writing a thank you note and mailing it just seemed to solidify your appreciation and show off those impeccable manners.  And one more thing, don’t forget what a good feeling you had when you dropped that card in the mailbox! 

Happy to say, nothing has changed, not even in the business world.  But somehow, some way, our manners have slipped . . . a lot.  Maybe we’re just a little too busy or maybe we just don’t see the value? Whatever the reason and there are many, we need to get back to basics.  Why?  Because that’s what our customers want.   

Think about this, how do you feel when you receive a thank you note in the mail?  Maybe I am being too assuming . . . have you ever received a thank you note in the mail?  If you have, remember that “feel good” feeling that someone cared enough to send you a card?  If you have never received a thank you card in the mail,  I guarantee it will undoubtedly capture your attention and make your day when you do receive one!  

Let’s turn that around where you send a thank you note to your customers. Imagine their reaction.  Another guarantee . . . a smile, a feeling of importance and excitedly pleased to be acknowledged.  This is how you start building customer loyalty.     

Building customer loyalty is key to your reputation and your survival as a business.  And yes, it can start with something as basic as sending a thank you card.   After all, your existing customers are your biggest cheerleaders, your sales force, your repeat customers, your referral source and your revenue builders, so why wouldn’t you treat them with gratitude and appreciation?   

Think about what you stand to lose when a customer moves on.  Look for ways to keep a customer from jumping to the other side.   

The Bottom Line:  Customer follow up  is mandatory.  How do you keep your customers and turn them into loyal customers?  By showing you care.

Have you ever had good food at a restaurant but the customer service was terrible? Then, as you are walking out the door, the manager asks, “Did you enjoy your meal?”

Are you truthful or do you just want to leave and not look back? Most often we say nothing for several reasons.

1.  We don’t want to complain
2.  No one is going to listen
3.  We feel nothing will change anyway

After all, you won’t be going back so what does it matter? It does matter. Actually, you are doing the restaurant a severe injustice by not talking about your negative experience to the manager.

Here’s what could happen next:

Read More About Why FINE Is a Dangerous Word

Mail Bonding Lets Companies Cement Relationships 

SACRAMENTO, California (April 28, 2011) – To Sandie Marinoble and Jodi Riolo, partners of Client Retention, the most logical way to build business relationships is through mail bonding. 

Unlike male bonding, mail bonding does not involve a few beers and a football game. It does however, involve calculated correspondence. 

Client Retention (www.ClientRetentionInc.com) sees greeting card mailing programs as a cost-effective tool for companies and entrepreneurs to retain clients and boost employee morale. Most surveys across industries show that keeping one existing customer is five to seven times more profitable than attracting one new one. 

“What comes into play is how much is a client worth to a company? You can’t look at a client as a one-time sale, you have to look at the client over a lifetime” Sandie Marinoble said. “That is the reason Client Retention was formed. We like to help companies and professionals keep in touch with their clients on a regular basis in a very personalized manner. This helps to increase client loyalty and generate referrals.” 

Learn More About Building Repeat and Referral Business

I don’t know about you but we have been noticing and experiencing a tremendous spin on the customer service skills of employees. We mean that in a good way! Recently at a local restaurant, it appeared that an employee’s soul purpose was to open the front door for every customer coming and going. I actually watched the front door for a bit and that employee never left her post. A professional greeter – where have we seen that before?

Another example was at a theatre we attended. There was an employee that actually acknowledged all the patrons one-on-one as we left the theatre and thanked us for coming to the movies. That’s a first.

What about fast food? Employees are getting friendlier and actually look happy! (Well, most of them.)

It is so refreshing that companies are finally getting on board by training and hiring the right people for customer service positions. Why the change? Competition maybe? Whatever it is . . . it’s about time!

Fresh Tips & Bold Ideas
According to a Gallup poll, 70% of employees are no longer committed to the company.  The “I don’t care” or “It’s not my job” attitude is hurting businesses in a huge way and we think it has finally caught up with many.   Saving a customer is the most single important task you have.

Learn The 10 Surefire Ways to Keep Your Customers

What determines a bully?  Bullies purposely try to make people feel uncomfortable OR purposely put people down.

Some also have a habit of keeping you in a state of “psychological emergency.” This makes them feel important by continually keeping you in a scrambling mode.

You are constantly walking on eggshells around them and they love it.  This is one of the worst forms of bullying. MORE

Cell phones and smart phones are here to stay and we love them!

The convenience of making or receiving a call at any time, any place (well, almost), far outweighs the negatives about cell phones and smart phones.

So how can a cell phone possibly be troublesome in the workplace? What exactly is the growing concern?

Perhaps this inexcusable scenario may sound familiar to you: MORE

Ever notice all the music around you?

It’s played in grocery stores, restaurants, elevators, doctors’ offices, nail salons, car dealerships, gas stations (yes, while you are pumping gas), business offices and even the parking lots!

Is music appropriate in the workplace? You bet it is.

Does music boost employee morale? Yes to that one too.

Music plays a positive role in most of our lives personally and professionally.

Music acts as an important component in building a customer service culture in the workplace. MORE

If you choose to have music in your place of business, set some rules:

• If employees are seated in an open area, no music at their desks. This is about as popular as gum snapping.
• Music in the office needs to come from a single source with the speaker(s) set on low volume.
• Music needs to be appropriate for the type of business you work in.
• If employees or customers are complaining about the music in any way, listen to them. MORE

Back in the day… the job interview process was like hopping on the merry-go-round at the park.

Businesses sang the same song (here we go with singing again), “do you have experience?” And of course, our thoughts were “how do we get experience if no one will hire us?” Can’t they see we are trainable and happy people?

Eventually, someone took a chance and gave us a break.

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