Customers make an interesting study. It seems they always want the very most for the very least they’ll have to pay. They are ruthless, selfish, demanding and disloyal.
Martin Howey knows all about this. Howey says “You know the story. You’ve done business with someone for several years and they’ve been good customers. You’ve given them the best service possible and you think they are your customers for life. But then some little thing possibly out of your control goes wrong, or they see an ad or get a call from a competitor, someone they’ve never met before, with a slightly lower price, and the next thing you know, they are gone, oftentimes without a single word to you.”
Businesses owners from every kind, size and type of company that sell every type of product or service knows this is going to happen and it does happen. To pretend that it doesn’t or won’t happen is simply deceiving yourself.
Howey explains “It’s incredible how many business owners just write off the loss of a good customer. But that’s not the thing you should do. Instead, now is the time to become even more proactive and go after your “lost” customers – those who have done business with you in the past, but for some reason are no longer patronizing you.”
Why Customers Quit
Some years ago a study was done on the reasons customers quit. They found that…
1 percent – die
3 percent – move away
5 percent – develop other friendships
9 percent – competitive reasons
14 percent – product dissatisfaction
68 percent – indifferent attitude of employee
And that’s in any service or product related industry.
How To Stop Customer Defection
The easiest way to prevent your customers from leaving you and defecting to the competition is to let them know that you care about them. Customers are very much like spouses. If you don’t tell them you love them once in awhile, someone else will and you’re likely to lose them. You have to continually keep in touch, communicate with them and let them know that you appreciate their business and that you value them as individuals. People don’t buy from businesses. They buy from other people. And the more you can make them feel appreciated and needed the more responsive and loyal they’ll be to you.
Reselling your customers on the reasons they bought from you in the first place is one of the best ways to cut down on defections. Regularly scheduled meetings or conversations with your customers to remind them of how you came together and what their motives were to initially buy from you can go a long way in helping insulate your business from the competition.
The more you can do for them beyond what the actual product or service they buy from you does, the more you’ll build value in doing business with you rather than them buying from you because you happen to carry a particular product or deliver a certain service. Review your customers’ needs, wants and concerns. Remind them why they bought from you in the first place. Reinforce their motives, and their decisions for buying, and you will reduce your customer defection rate and develop not only loyal customers, but friends, as well.
About Martin Howey
Martin Howey is a world leader in International training and helps “C-Level” executives and entrepreneurs transition from their current employment into their own business as Marketing and Business Development Consultants. He works with a small, very select number of entrepreneurial -minded clients who are interested in starting, running, and profiting from their own 6 and even 7-figure marketing and business development consulting practices and consulting with and helping other business owners increase the leads, sales, and profitability of their companies. Martin is the Best Selling Author of “The Official Guide to 7-Figure Consulting.”
Media Contact:
Company Name: TopLine Business Solutions
Contact Person: Martin Howey
Email: martin@martinhowey.com
Phone: (480) 969-1738
Country: United States
Website: https://www.toplinebusinesssolutions.com/home