3 Simple Secrets to Getting and Keeping Lifetime Clients

By Tom Borg, tomborgconsulting

When it comes to running your business it is vital that you and your team are “brilliant on the basics”. The funny thing about being brilliant on the basics is that it is usually doing the things that your competitors are just too lazy to do. Oh, they may have started out doing them when they first opened their business but over the years they became complacent or apathetic.  Don’t let this happen to you and your team.

Here are three simple secrets that when practiced can be the keys to getting and keeping lifetime clients. Let’s take a look at each one.

Strategy #1: Names Are Important

A few months ago I walked into my credit union. As I waited in line, I noticed one of the tellers was new. Whenever there is a new teller it makes me aware that there will be a short period of time for them to get to know me. Once this young lady got my account number, she immediately used my name.

On my next visit, the same thing happened. On my third visit she called me by name as I walked up to the window. She did not even need to look at my account number. This kind of treatment made me feel important and respected and is one of the reasons I have been a member of this credit union since 1983.

Do you know the names of most of your clients? As Dale Carnegie said, “A person’s name is to that person the sweetest, most important sound in any language.” Research has shown that there is a particular feel-good reaction that takes place in our brains when we hear our name.

If you and your team members are not regularly using the names of your clients, you are missing out on a strategy that can help build a lasting relationship with them.

An easy way to get and use the customer’s name, if you or your employees don’t remember it, is to read it off his or her account number, invoice, work order, check, or credit card.

When in doubt, simply ask. A simple way to do this is to use the fill-in-the-blank method. It works like this: “My name is Tom Borg, and your name is …..?

Once you get that person’s name, use it in the conversation a few times. It helps to write down the names of the customers you have trouble remembering. Review the list from time to time. You’ll be surprised and delighted at how easy you will be able to build a sincere rapport with your clients.

Strategy #2: Become a Problem Solver   

Some time ago, I was flying back to Detroit, Michigan on Delta Airlines. After landing in Knoxville, Tennessee to connect with my transfer flight, I checked in at the airline counter and got the bad news. From the time I had boarded my originat­ing flight in Dallas, my baggage had been mistakenly routed to Chicago.

Realizing there were only a few minutes before my plane would be leaving, I anxiously asked the agent if my baggage could possibly be transferred to this flight. He said, “Mr. Borg, (I like being called by name) I’ll see what I can do.” He then left the counter and still hadn’t returned when the final boarding call for Detroit was given.

You can imagine how I boarded reluctantly and sat anxiously waiting for the plane to leave without my baggage. Unexpectedly, the pilot announced that our flight would be momentarily delayed while they transferred a passenger’s bag to the flight.

The door suddenly opened and onto the airplane walked the gate agent I had spoken to earlier. He looked around the airplane, saw me sitting in my seat, and came over to me. He knelt down next to me and as I looked at him I could see beads of sweat on his forehead. (I knew he had been up to something!) In a very low voice he said, “Mr. Borg, I want you to know I have personally transferred your bag to this plane. You will be able to pick it up in baggage claim in Detroit. Have a great flight and thanks for flying Delta”.

At the Detroit baggage claim, my bag was the first one to arrive on the conveyor belt. Now that’s what I call service! This agent figured out a solution to my dilemma. He was a problem solver.

How about in your green industry business? Where can you and your team become problem solvers for your clients?

By becoming a problem solver, you are commu­nicating to them that you value them as human beings as well as clients. The important point to remember is that as you make your clients satisfaction a priority, you and your team become more valuable to them.

Strategy #3: Value the Little Customer
Some time ago I called a company to install a split rail fence on our residential property. The representative stopped over, gave me his price, and remarked that it was a minimum size job. The agreement was signed and the salesman promised the work would begin as soon as I obtained a permit. I promptly obtained the permit, called the fence company, and left a message for the salesman to notify the work crew to begin as soon as possible.

My repeated calls ended in frustration. Evidently, the salesman was very busy and placed my job low on his priority list. My repeated calls ended in frustration because he never bothered to arrange for the work to be done.

Borg's Rule: Never ignore a small order.  It can cost you big money.

Just because an order is minimum cost to the customer, doesn’t mean it’s not important to you. Let's examine the psychology behind that rule. First, even though the job that I requested was small, it could have been the beginning of a potential relationship that would bring in repeat, additional and referral business to that fence company.

Second, like everyone one of your clients, they know other people and will talk if your service or product is poor. Ultimately, having a bad experience with a company can have major consequences. If someone I know is looking to use a company like this one for their residence or business, I won’t have many positive things to say about them.

According to research, an unhappy customer talks to friends and acquaintances. On the average, a customer will tell 5-7 other people of a good experience he or she has had with a particular business or organization. Good, word of mouth advertising is free and can result from good products and service. An unhappy customer will tell 9-16 other people of the poor service he or she has received. Bad word of mouth advertising (also free), usually results from bad service.

How can we avoid offending the client who has a small order? First and foremost, train your employees to give the same kind of service to that client as they would to a client with a large order. If that is impossible because your company is just too busy, then I suggest you find one or two smaller businesses to use as referrals for this type of client. By doing this, you will give the client the kind of service and respect he or she deserves. This will also result in leaving a positive impression with that client and positive, word of mouth, advertising.

There you have it. Three proven strategies to improve your client service and build your business.
Now that you know these strategies, make sure you and your team go out and use them.
 

 Tom Borg is a team performance and customer experience expert who works with small businesses and organizations to improve customer acquisition and retention. He helps these organizations through his consulting, speaking, training and mentoring.