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7 Keys to Loyal, Lasting Customer Relationships

August 7, 2012 by Liz Leave a Comment

Every Business Is Relationships

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It doesn’t matter what your role is in business.
You won’t get very far without the help of other people.

It doesn’t matter whether your work is solo or as one of thousands in a big corporation.
Your work will require you to interact with people.

To build a product, offer a service, tell people about that product or service, make a sale, solve a problem, or gather feedback. It’s hard to imagine a business situation where people aren’t involved. To be successful, some social skills are an imperative. To build a team or grow a business, we need to get other people engaged and involved.

Business is relationships and relationships are everyone’s business.

Transaction is not Connection

In some ways, every person we interact with — employees, bosses, vendors, partners, shareholders, family, friends — is a customer. Those interactions can be transactional. You do this and I’ll do that. Relationship over until the next offer.
We do the this so that we get that prize.

We see this and do this online and off.

  • “Like” our Facebook page, and get a coupon for a free taco.
  • Follow us on Twitter and we’ll retweet you 5 times.
  • Enter our contest and you could win!
  • Buy our product and get 10% more.
  • Buy from us and get a free hat!

The problem with that transaction — the quid pro quo agreement doesn’t develop a relationship.

Our attention is on the prize not the person or even the business who offered it. We earned the prize.
Unless they offer another prize, we don’t really have a reason to interact with that business or person again. If someone offers a better prize for less work or investment, they’ll get our time.

Transactions are not connections. It takes a connection to have reason for returning.

7 Keys to Loyal, Lasting Customer Relationships

Transactional business is tough. And it’s risky. It’s tiring and costly to keep reminding customers to come back and buy again. Another vendor can offer a better, or even the same, transaction and if the timing, placement, or prize is attractive when customers have a need to buy again they’re gone. How far will you walk to get a lower ATM fee?

But, build a relationship and the game changes. You’ve suddenly established context. Context shows people how you fit into their lives. Now that other vendor can’t replicate or replace what you’ve built. It takes a little more time and maybe some thinking, but the investment is worth it. Invest in people and they’re more likely to invest back.

If you want customers to form a relationship a fiercely loyal customer, stick by these 7 keys to a loyal, lasting customer relationship.

  1. Show up whole and human. Listen when people talk. We respond to generosity and compassion.
  2. Talk in your authentic voice. Let your values speak for you. You’ll attract people who share them.
  3. Tell your own truth. Tell the best true story about you — the one that gets customers to see that you’re like them.
  4. Have room for customers to tell their best story too. When they do, find a way to applaud.
  5. Don’t try to tie ideas up in a bow. Leave room for contributions, conversation, and growth through collaboration.
  6. Invite the best people to contribute. Let customers into your business to do things unrelated to buying, like swapping success stories, sharing their wisdom, and helping other customers have a better experience.
  7. Be helpful, not hypeful. . . . Make everything about them not you.

People make relationships with people, not with businesses. Investing authentic attention in customers, taking time to see, hear, and understand their needs, wishes, and wants, builds trust. Trust makes things faster and easier. We buy more and bigger things from people we trust.

Got advise on how to win your loyalty as a customer?

Be irresistible.
–ME “Liz” Strauss

Buy the Insider’s Guide to Online Conversation.

Filed Under: Customer Think, Marketing /Sales / Social Media, Successful Blog Tagged With: bc, customer connections, customer loyalty, LinkedIn, loyal customer relationships, small business

5 Smart Ways to Differentiate a Successful Business

August 6, 2012 by Guest Author 2 Comments

by
Grant Tilus

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Did you know Americans create more than 500,000 new businesses every month? It’s true, but only 50 percent of those businesses will still be operational within five years. While the amount of new businesses every month is encouraging, our rate of failure is unfortunate and must be improved upon.

5 Smart Ways to Differentiate a Successful Business

One way you can increase your business’ chance of celebrating its five year anniversary is to differentiate your business among your industry peers. Stand out from the crowd. Use these five ways to differentiate to build a smart and successful business. Each key point provides real-world examples of what you can do to improve your business.

1. Focus on the Customer

The best and often the most successful entrepreneurs create businesses they are so passionate about they will do anything for their customers. Over time many business owners tend to lose focus and begin straying away from having the needs of their customer be a top priority. However, by maintaining a customer-centric focus you will create a positive customer experience that will allow you to build your brand all while creating a loyal base of repeat and new customers.

Example: Stuffed Giraffe Shows What Customer Service Is All About

2. Be a Social Media Juggernaut

In our digital world social media cannot be ignored by even the smallest of businesses. Focus on creating a unique social community by engaging and educating your customers about your brand in a way that’s both entertaining and helps them feel connected to your business. We all know it’s easier to keep customers rather than finding new ones; social media can help you do both.

Example: Impressive Small Business Facebook Pages You Can Learn From

3. Don’t Focus on the Competition

Every smart business owner has conducted a SWOT analysis for their business venture. Far too often business owners get caught up in the threats of competition, which causes their own business to suffer. However, by focusing on the unique opportunities your business has to offer you will help it stand out among the rest as a clear and distinguished option for your targeted customer base.

Example: Your Competition, Isn’t

4. Make It Personal

Creating personal connections is part of human nature. In the midst of creating a business we subconsciously hide our own personality, and that’s not necessarily the best thing to do. Customers need ways to connect with businesses beyond the advertisements and sales pitches. By being transparent and humanistic your customers can begin to create a relationship with your business and become more than just a customer. Tell your story and learn your customer’s story as you build your business.

Example:


Papa John Telling the Papa John Story

5. Keep Things Fresh

Changes within your target market, technology, and the economy often require your business to make adjustments. In order to stay relevant and continue building a successful business it’s important to assess and refresh your business’ activities. The businesses that are comfortable maintaining the status quo are the ones that are failing to prepare for true longevity. As a business owner you need to be asking, listening and responding to changes in the market and your customer base in order to succeed in the long term.

Example: Living Business Plans Help Businesses Flow with Future

Differentiate your business in 5 smart and social ways to build success. Use social avenues to focus on and connect with customers personally by sharing stories. Then you can let your competition worry about you.

What successes have you had with differentiating your business in smart and social ways?

Author’s Bio:
Grant Tilus is an Inbound Marketing Specialist at Rasmussen College. He creates superior content and blogs about accelerated bachelor’s degree programs, other online business school degree programs or inbound marketing best practices. Feel free to connect with Grant Tilus on Twitter and Google+.

Buy the Insider’s Guide to Online Conversation.

Filed Under: Marketing /Sales / Social Media, Strategy/Analysis, Successful Blog Tagged With: bc, business growth, customer connections, customer focus, differentiate your business, keep it fresh, LinkedIn, small business, social media juggernaut

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