Reward Your Best Customers
“There’s a big difference between a satisfied customer and a loyal one.”
—Shep Hyken
When a customer walks out the door, we hope they’re satisfied that they received good value for their purchase price and that they’ll be coming back. It’s the basic goal of any business.
However, if your business is going to thrive, you need more than that. You want them walking out the door so delighted with your company that they’ll tell their family and friends about you and praise you to the skies in online reviews. It’s the kind of hidden advertising money can’t buy.
Creating this type of customer is hard work, and once you’ve done it, you’ll want to keep them. Here are a few ideas on how to do that:
- Single out your best customers and follow them on Twitter or Facebook. Share or comment on what they have to say. It's bound to make them feel special and help cement the relationship you’re trying to build.
- Universities have rewarded their best customers for years by naming scholarships, park benches and even whole buildings after them. Not to be left out of the act, some delis have named sandwiches after their best customers. So why not follow their example? Name a product after your customer, or allow them to name a product.
- Feedback, even negative feedback, is one of the best tools you can have to move forward. Definitely reward customers who give you feedback that you can use. It can give them a personal stake in your business doing well.
- For a personal touch, take the time to have coffee with your best customers. If you’re unable, have gift cards to the local coffee shop on hand.
- Write a thank you note and mail it.
- Hold a webinar for your most special clients.
- Make a point of knowing your clients' birthdays and then celebrate the day with them by giving them freebies.
- And don’t just wait for special occasions. Surprise your best customers with gift cards or e-gift cards out of the blue.
- Do something extra for them like a free delivery or free upgrade— anything that's above and beyond the normal service.
- Personally call or text your best customers about upcoming sales you know they'd be interested in.
You notice the word ‘personal’ appears more than a few times in our list, and it’s not by accident. As a general rule, people care more about other people than they do organizations. Personal is what separates you from the faceless corporate crowd. Personal is what turns an ordinary business transaction into a happy, long-term relationship.
It’s a lot easier to maintain an existing relationship than to begin a new one. So once you’ve put in the hard work to create the type of customer you want to have, it’s worth it to go the extra mile to keep them. It’s an investment that will be returned many times over.