12 Strategies For Hanging Onto Your Customers
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12 Strategies For Hanging Onto Your Customers
Client or customer retention is crucial for most companies. Without long-term clients or repeat customers, businesses have to spend too much time and resources on lead generation and converting prospects. But what can salespeople do to keep clients satisfied? At Sandler UK, our experts have developed these twelve tried and tested techniques for convincing customers to stick with you.
1. Treat every customer like any other buyer
You need to pay attention to their changing wants and needs. Just because they have bought from your business before, does not mean they are likely to do it again. But, by being vigilant and learning about what they are looking for, you can convince them to keep coming back for more.
2. Start a ‘fuzzy file’ for each of your customers
By this we mean you should note down your customers’ interests and hobbies. Then, whenever you find an article or a video that you think they would like, share it with them. This way you can start to establish a more personal relationship which should stop them from shopping around.
3. Stroke your customers’ egos
Most people are unused to flattery and compliments. However, paying the right compliments and not overdoing them, can go a long way to keeping your customers satisfied.
4. Keep some white knights to go to battle for you
At every client company, you should aim to have at least two people on your side. This could mean establishing personal relationships, taking them out for dinner instead of meetings in the office, or paying compliments as described above. The more people you have supporting you, the less likely you will lose the business as a client.
5. Recognise the three stages new customers go through
The three stages are:
- The new toy phase – when they are excited about the prospect of working with your/buying from you/using your production service.
- The learning curve phase – when they struggle to integrate your product or service into their organisation, processes or culture.
- The results phase – when they start to experience the positive impact of your product or service.
6. Avoid mystification
It is always a good idea to manage expectations, tell clients exactly what they can get out of the product or service you are offering and when, as well as tell them what they need to do to make the most of it. You should get all this information in writing and have all parties agree on what’s required for the optimum delivery of the product or service.
Sales training sessions
Sandler UK is the perfect training partner for salespeople looking to take their skills to the next level. We have been in the sales training business for over forty years and have exclusive insights into what makes a great sales team. For more information, please don’t hesitate to contact us. If you are interested in learning more about how to hang on to your customers and hone many more vital sales techniques and strategies, we welcome you to join one of our face-to-face training sessions at one of our local training centres.
