We all know the saying that 80% of our business comes from 20% of our customers, but did you know it cost five times as much to win a new customer than to keep an old one? What should you be doing to make your customers more loyal and why? Here are a nine tips to keep your customers coming back to you.
- Provide a good quality product or service. Probably the most important – without it you have nothing.
- Give customers an incentive to come back to you. Since they’re already in your shop, use this time to offer a gift, a discount, special financing promotions for large work, or even a chance at a raffle that includes a discount off of the next service.
- Stand behind your work and reap the rewards of trust. If your customers do not trust you, they will not come back.
- Show your appreciation to every customer – no matter how big or small the job may be.
- Make it more convenient to come to you than your competitors. Many dealerships offer a courtesy car, or free pick-up and delivery. If you’re close to a major shopping center or a mall, offer a free shuttle so they can shop while you work on their car.
- Be proactive in your advertising. Rule 3 states if your customers trust you they will come back. While you have a customer in your shop, get an email address along with a mailing address. Instead of paying all of that money to “The Clipper” or any other advertising you might find out is a waste of money, send mail to your customers directly. Promote routine checkups, or other services such as, ”Winter is coming, we’ll check your anti freeze for free.” Studies have shown that if you remind people that they need service, they will usually come back to you. Ever get a phone call from your dentist saying, “It’s time for a cleaning?” There’s a reason for that!
- Know your customers; reward your top customers for being loyal. Free windshield washer fluid, battery testing, anything you do for free will definitely come back to you in the long run.
- Initiate a referral program for your customers. When your customer refers a new client, offer them a reward of some sort. Referral business is the best new business out there.
- An easy idea, listen to your customers. Often times it is outsiders who have the greatest ideas for improvements to businesses. Recently, I was in one of the larger shops where customers would pay at the counter, be given their keys, and then were sent on their merry way.
One day a customer suggested, “Why not put numbers in the parking spaces, so that when you are done with someone’s car you can tell them, “Thank you Mrs. Jones, you car is outside waiting for you in spot 5?” It seemed like a simple idea at the time, but it ended up being a huge success.
