There's nothing more valuable to a business than building stable, trusting relationships with customers. Here are five things you need to ensure you achieve just that.
The majority of your business should come from the relationships you develop with your customers. And the reasons for that are very straightforward.
Repeat business, i.e., customers returning to your service for more jobs, keeps the overall marketing costs down, boosts profitability, and dramatically increases your brand value. Most importantly, it can significantly improve your long-term business security.
As business owners, we know that security is never guaranteed - there's always something that will come up and put our business at risk. However, if we develop a model where our business comes from existing customer relationships, whatever happens won't matter as much.
If you want to make your business as successful as it can be, you should focus on relationship marketing that will entice customers to come back over and over again. This can make all of the difference between companies that survive and those that thrive.
Luckily, there are ways to make repeat business happen - all you need to do is establish the five pillars of relationship marketing in your business.
The Five Pillars
Pillar #1. Customer Experience
Customer experience isn't really a pillar of relationship marketing - it's the foundation. If you don't focus on customer experience, the rest of this construct won't matter.
You can send your customer a box of cookies with a Thank you card, but if they didn't have a good experience initially, they aren't coming back. They won't give you referrals, and they'll leave bad reviews all around.
Remember that the main reason your business exists is to provide a service to the customer. Naturally, that service must be of quality, but the foundation for everything else is whether your customers have a good experience or not.
Pillar #2. Customer Appreciation
Once the job's done, we always need to say Thank you. And there are different ways to do that: with a gift, a card, via email, or a phone call. But the best way is to do all of it.
Your customers need to feel appreciated and know they weren't just a cash machine to you. This is much the same as establishing a personal relationship - you can't simply show up once and go away forever.
Follow up with your client after the job's over and show them you're available and have their best interest in mind in doing so. It's the best way to gain loyal customers and maybe even some new friends.
Pillar #3. Get Online Reviews
Right now, a five-star review on Google is a currency. And good reviews, in general, are an asset. Of course, good reviews can depend on more than a job well done, which is how this pillar ties back to the others.
Ensure your customers have a great experience and follow up with them. We've known for a long time that if you give somebody a gift, they’ll be more likely to leave a positive review and give you a referral.
In fact, according to a study we did last year, people are 350% more likely to give you a review on sites that matter, like Google or Facebook, when you send out a Thank you and a gift and specifically ask for feedback.
Pillar #4. A Referral Program That's Always Working
People often make the mistake of treating their referral program as a one-time event. They give out their brochure and tell their customers something like, If you give us referrals, we'll send you something, and they consider the job done. But it’s not.
What's obviously missing from this process is the follow-up.
You should build your referral program by staying in front of people all of the time. Don't let them forget about you because it shouldn't be up to them to remember you - it's your job to ensure your business stays on their mind.
Have a weekly, monthly, and yearly follow-up schedule and remind people of your services. This way, you'll build a referral program that doesn't stop after a day or two but keeps going and grows your network of relationships.
Pillar #5. Make Sure You're In Touch
Let's say you've gone through every pillar. You've sent the notes, gotten great reviews, and maintained a referral program. The one remaining thing you need to do is stay in touch with your customers.
In the services business, you have to be constantly in contact with people, using every piece of media available. Send emails and direct mail, engage on social networks, and use all other venues to stay in touch.
We all know the old saying, Out of sight, out of mind. With businesses, it couldn't be more true. And it's a crucial principle when it comes to relationship marketing.
Build Long-Lasting Relationships
Building relationships with your customers can become the power behind your business. As you grow a network of people who trust you and love doing business with you, the benefits will become more and more apparent.
Loyal customers are precious for every business. Treat them as such and you'll be well on your way to growth and success.
The main point in relationship marketing is making people understand that you appreciate their business and want to develop a long-term relationship with them. Once your customers know that, they'll be more likely to come back, recommend you to friends and family, and leave you stellar reviews.
In essence, you'll ensure a constant flow of new jobs and plenty of free marketing of the best kind.
If you’d like to discuss how you can generate better results online, let’s schedule a time to chat. You can pick a time that works for you now by going to https://go.plumberseo.net/schedule
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