subject: If Your Customers Only Knew.... [print this page] Having customers is really great! No, really, they are! But aren't there a few things you wish they knew without you telling them? You know, the way you feel when you remind your 12 year old son to pick his clothes up off the floor of his bedroom. You want to reserve the parenting for your children, not your clients. So what is it you wished they knew?
Pay on Time - Don't you just wish your clients could read your mind and pay you on time without you having to beg and plead? You hate to ask for money in the first place, and by the time you realize you haven't received their payment and could really use it to meet payroll or a critical lease payment, you now sound a bit desperate. Having invoices that are explicit about the payment due date and a Credit Policy in place so your customers know what is expected of them is an essential tool in your Business Success Toolbox.
Send Referrals - Your customers love what you do so why do you have to ask for referrals? You'd really rather they tell their friends about you on their own without having to ask. Endorsements from clients to other potential clients are so powerful, yet you feel uncomfortable asking for them. Having a Referral Process in place makes it easier on you and your customer to tap into this powerful source of more clients!
Repeat Purchases - Getting customers who love you and repeatedly buy from you whether it's weekly, monthly, or annually is a goal of most business owners, unless, of course, you own a funeral home. Keeping customers is so much easier than repeatedly incurring the cost and time to get new customers. The customers who love you would buy from you in a second, but unless you're top of mind at just the right moment you may miss out. Your process for remaining top of mind with clients makes it easy for them to be repeat customers.
Make More Purchases - Customers who have tried your specialty chocolate macadamia nut fudge might also like your all natural mango frozen yogurt, but they had no idea you offered it. Once you have a customer, it is your job to educate them on other products and services you have that they would love. Your Marketing Plan should address how often you touch your clients with additional information about your products and service.
Let You Correct Errors - It happens. You're human. Your staff is human. Someone will drop the ball at some point in time. If your customer doesn't tell you about the issue with the product or service and simply walks away to your competitor you've lost an opportunity to turn the client into a raving fan. When a customer calls to cancel your ongoing service, you have to immediately put into action your proactive plan for Client Retention.
