Getting new customers is hard, and so is keeping existing customers happy and satisfied. Everyone is trying to get customers from someone else. Some compete on pricing, some on features, and others compete on tangible value added to customers’ lives. In a world where competition is fierce, you need more than just good prices and discounts to keep your customers happy. You don’t want to keep your customers happy and satisfied just for the here and now; you want to keep them happy for as long as possible. If you want your customers to stick with your company, if you want them to become your brand advocate, then you need to show them that you’re in for the long haul, that you care about them.

Have you ever wondered why so many companies spend a lot on marketing, and they don’t get the results they expect? This may come down to various reasons, from the lack of a clear marketing strategy to focusing too much on a specific marketing channel. In a world where attention span is shrinking more and more, you need to stand out from the competition by offering real, tangible value to people. That is easier said than done, though. Almost every company wants to stand out, to offer unique value, but how many want to really build customer loyalty? While there’s no magic formula to earning and building customer loyalty, below are some tips that might come in handy:

Offer an amazing customer service  and experience

That’s obvious, right? While offering a great customer service is a given, you’d be amazed at the number of companies who don’t get it right. Offering an excellent customer service should be your number one priority. Top-quality customer service will give you that competitive edge in your industry. To deliver a stellar customer service, you need to be accessible. Offer various communication channels, and make sure that they are optimized, user-friendly and easy to handle. Respond to customers as soon as possible. Do what you promise. Listen to what your customers have to say. Don’t just hear them talk about their arguments, their worries- just listen. Try to put yourself in the customer’s shoes. Don’t just focus on selling your product or service. Build long-term relationships instead. Show that you truly, really care about them. After all, who doesn’t want to be felt taken care of?

Deliver intrinsic value to your customers 

People don’t just buy products or services; they buy feelings and emotions. When you buy something from your favorite brand, you don’t say to yourself “These shoes are going to make me run much faster. I’m going to be a champion.” Sometimes you may feel like that, but what you really think is “Wow, these shoes feel great.”  See? It’s a feeling, not a rational and cool-headed analysis of the shoes’ features.  Likewise, when customers buy something from you, they don’t just do it for the low price(sometimes they do), the advanced and complex features, or your fancy headquarters; they buy for the overall good feeling they get, the  value they get from using your product or service. Competitive pricing is what might get your customers  through your doors; intrinsic value is what keeps them in. And if customers share some of your company’s values, even better. That’s a win-win situation. What more can one desire?

Encourage feedback 

One of the best ways of building customer loyalty is encouraging feedback. Get to know your customers. Ask them what they like and don’t like about your company , or your product and/or service. The more you know about your customers, the better you can serve them. Ask for an honest opinion. If it’s bad, then you know you have work to do. If it’s good, then you know you’re in the right path. You can always improve, though. You can easily get customer feedback by positing online surveys, through social media, etc. With so many tools available, there’s no excuse not to  keep encouraging feedback from your customers. Quality feedback is key to improvement.

You might wonder: ‘This is fine and all, but how do I build customer loyalty if there’s too many of them?” That’s where Flexie CRM comes into place. You don’t need to remember every customer’s name because Flexie does that for you. By creating a smart list, you can easily find your contacts(or leads, accounts and deals for that matter.) You can add a personal touch to your communication with customers by sending personal emails. Used the right way, emails can help your offer a great customer service. Want to personalize your relationship with customers even more? In Flexie CRM, you can easily send tracked emails to your customers. You will instantly know if the email has been opened or not.

Building customer loyalty is like running a marathon: you don’t stop at the first obstacle. You go through rough patches, you persevere, you make it through. And that’s how you win. Ready to run your marathon?

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