Where would your business be without any customers? Nowhere, of course, as you need them to profit your business.
However, you might face an inevitable downturn in customers if any of the following relate to your business. Consider each point we make, and then do whatever is necessary to safeguard your position in the marketplace.
#1: Your customers will leave you when their level of trust is compromised
Would you use a business that you didn’t trust? We are assuming not, and neither would your customers. So, don’t do anything that will affect the trust they might have put in you already.
Protect their private information by following these tips on online privacy. Don’t make promises to your customers that you know you won’t be able to keep. And protect your brand image by monitoring the behaviour of the staff who work for you, and by conforming to ethical habits in the way you conduct your business.
By taking these steps now and in the future, that level of trust your customers have put in you should be maintained. However, if you do make a mistake, don’t delay your apologies. While some customers will be unforgiving, there will be others who are willing to give you a second chance. Do right by them and make up for your mistakes in whatever way seems fitting.
#2: Your customers will leave you when they forget about you
To retain your customers, you need to give them a reason to return. If you don’t, they are hardly likely to bless you with their wallets forever, as they have the power of choice when it comes to where they spend their money.
So, ensure your customers don’t forget about you.
Check-in with them on social media and email regularly, especially when you have exciting company news to share with them.
Give them the incentive to return to you with a discounted product or freebie.
And send out promotional products to your customers, as when they have company-branded merchandise lying around in their homes, they are sure to be reminded of your business on a regular basis.
#3: Your customers will leave you when you offend them
When we say ‘you’ we are also referring to your employees. If your customers are offended in any way because of the people within your business, they are hardly likely to come to you again.
We are thinking about those abrupt answers you or your employees might give when dealing with a difficult customer. We are thinking about your lack of care when it comes to your customer’s needs. And we are thinking about any public behaviours or unethical standpoints that could cause upset in your customers.
Within your business, you need to do all you can to provide excellent customer service. You need to consider the needs of your customers and make every effort to meet them. And you should be careful about what you do and say in and out of your business, as any careless word or action could offend your customer’s sensibilities.
#4: Your customers will leave you when your rivals win them over
As we suggested earlier, your customers have the freedom of choice when it comes to the money they have in their wallets. If you aren’t doing much to keep them on your side, then your nearest rivals will capitalise on your neglect.
For starters, you need to know that your rivals might be keeping an eye on business review sites and your social media accounts. If they can find out who your customers are from these sources, they might directly make contact with your customers with a better offer on their products or services.
Your rivals will also sway your customers to their side when they have a better website and a higher ranking on Google’s search engines.
And if they offer your customer’s better value for money, then it’s understandable that you might lose those people who care more about frugality than loyalty.
So, don’t let your business rivals beat you.
Improve your business in every way possible, perhaps with a better website and an improved product. Improve your SEO, so you don’t slip down the rankings on Google’s search pages. And keep an eye on your rivals, and counter their efforts to be better than you.
Finally
Don’t let your customers get away! You won’t make much of a profit if they do, and your position in the marketplace will be less than secure. Follow our suggestions, and do whatever else it takes to keep your customers on your side. Success will surely follow if you do.