While acquiring new clients or customers is often considered the most worthwhile approach we can take for expansion, these means almost nothing if they never stick around after investing time and money in our services.
In fact, a regularly returning customer base can often help your firm elevate its word of mouth standing, regular revenue streams and identity more than anything else.
For this reason, it’s important to consider the three motivations of a returning client, so that we can also ensure they return on top of the acquisition of new people.
This is how market growth occurs, and that’s often the goal of even small businesses trying to compete in a local area. Because if you fail to expand, even slowly, it’s very rare that you stay exactly the same. As business is as dynamic and changing as life itself, expansion or contraction are the most likely to forms of movement.
But in order to convince a client to stay, we need to know what motivations them, and not in a clinical sense, but a practical one. Let’s consider that together, then:
Proper Handling
It’s a great idea to use proper handling measures when managing clients. Clients know that you don’t run a business solely for them, but their experience must make sure that they feel handled effectively no matter what.
For instance, integrating beauty salon software into your small business can help them arrive and receive treatments without waiting an undue amount of time, or having to put in their own requests each time without the courtesy of those being remembered, or feeling as though they’re not a priority, even when you’re managing many others. The only way to achieve this is to empower staff with utilities like this.
Provided For & Considered
Clients must feel as though their needs are being considered and met, even if the best you can do for them is a polite, warm smile and a friendly referral to another firm that can satiate their unique request.
Yet it might be that when coming into your office, something as simple as a refreshment and a comfortable chair can be enough to solidify continuing business. If you can communicate with confidence, and truly listen, clients will feel provided for and considered in all aspects of your interaction.
Remembered & Appreciated
Clients just want to be remembered and appreciated for being part of your firm, even if that means being the end user of it. Appreciating your clients may involve giving them discounts periodically, continually thanking them for their business, setting up loyalty reward schemes, or in some cases, intimate considerations such as sending them a Christmas card every year thanks to their continued support of your humble outfit. It’s these little measures that help clients feel as though they’re always welcome at your firm, which is a hard feeling to ignore thanks to the fellow feeling it can render.
With this advice, we hope you can build and leverage the three motivations of a returning client.
