Client retention is not just about being able to impress them so that they would want to be associated with you for a long time - but about winning them over so they become your brand ambassadors. It is a very crucial part of client management. You have to make an effort to know your client even better than you know the back of your hand.
What makes super-brands like Apple or IBM or Samsung connect with their customers? How are they able to retain their consumers or business associates or partners in technology for such a long time? It is all due to their excellent client management skills. It is how they convey to their clients and associates that they matter to them and that their presence and association is of immense value to them. Client management takes a new dimension in the modern world and following are some of the most important steps that you will have to perform if you really want to retain them in the long
haul.
What Makes You Unique?
What is it that makes you stand out and attract your customers in the first place? Do you know what your USP is when they compare you with your competitors? Once you know your business and your brand well enough, it becomes very easy to build a customer base that is more loyal than anything you have ever come across. Despite the rising prices of your products you can count on this audience to be loyal and responsive to you for a very long time. This is where you enhance their knowledge about your brand and make them your loyal and returning customers.
Are You Keeping Your Customers Happy?
Do you know that the average business loses around 20% of its customers simply by not being able to keep them happy? You need to understand the meaning of healthy customer relationships and this applies to both on and offline sales and marketing strategies. You constantly need to reinvent yourself to keep your loyal consumers attached to you and also work on new ways to acquire new consumers over a period of time for sustainable growth. There is no room for ignoring the needs and wants of any section of your consumers whether it is your existing target audience or your newly acquired consumer base.
Relationships Matter A Lot In Business
The key to a successful business is winning your over customers and keeping them on your side through thick and thin. This is where the business community should focus on. Every entrepreneur and business owner in the world should spend a considerable amount of their time and energy on social media channels and different kinds of advertising techniques and productivity hacks but they should also focus on building real relationships with real people. A very important function that they could be performing here is that of experiential marketing which would give their customers the right platform to connect with their brand and the people behind that brand. One on one interaction is what the modern day consumers or the millennials seek. They have become to grow and think beyond virtual channels and so should the entrepreneur.
Enhancing Your Top Of The Mind Recall Value
If the image or name or sound or brand that pops up in the mind of the consumers at the mention of products in a relevant category or industry is yours, you can rest assured that your top of the mind recall value is pretty high.
Your products or brand enjoy the highest top of the mind recall value among your consumers if they think of your name or offerings or attributes immediately at the mention of similar products in your category or if someone asks them about your industry. This means that your consumer is quite aware of you and buys more of your products than that of an alternative brand.
You need to identify those products or brands or sub-brands within your company as they will tend to have a longer shelf life in your customers’ memory and would leave a stronger impact on the market. Recording a high top of the mind recall will help you in brand extension.
What Are Your Client Relationship Management Strategies?
Client management and retention is not a one step function. It involves crucial strategies and some of the most critical decisions that as a businessman you will ever have to make. Following are some of the most successful and tried and tested client relationship management strategies that you could adopt.
- Valuing Your Client's Time
Time is precious because it directly translates into money and if you want to build healthy relationships with your clients you have to respect their time. You need to be more open to your clients and give them the freedom to schedule appointments for you. If you want you can also choose one of the many tools that automate this process for you.
If you do not believe in small talk, you need to change a little bit of your thought process. When you begin to converse with your clients you are able to recognize their needs and be more aware of their preferences and become more respectful of their expectations. The level of support you are able to extend then is much more valuable and appreciated.
- Coming Face To Face
Like pointed out earlier, virtual connections are only going to last so long. What is actually going to create a long lasting impression on your clients is the way you connect with them on a more personal and face to face level. Having a one on one conversation with them is going to help you build a stronger bond with them.
- Over Delivering On Your Promises
It is actually a cliché but very effective when you promise on a certain thing and deliver way more than their expectations. Make this a habit and you will never find yourself in a situation where your client feels let down by you or your brand.
- Be More Authentic
You should never fall prey to activities that reflect badly upon your authenticity. If you really want to know what your clients are thinking about you and what your reputation in the market is, you need to become a brand that is more trustworthy than any other entity in the industry. This again boils down to how well you connect with your audience and for this purpose you may use tools such as videos and graphical representations that can be verified, building relationships on their preferred social media channels and telling them stories that are more human and they find more appealing and can identify with.
- Transparency And Humanity
When your customers know that you are just like them and not something that is more sophisticated and polished than them, they would be more than willing to connect with you. Be more approachable and human so that your clients find it easier to connect with you.
Conclusion
You have to think deeper and prove to your clients that you are more than just the superficial image that they see of you. You have to develop good customer communication and relationship skills if you want to fabricate strong rapport with your customers; do this and not only will you retain your customers but also turn them into your brand advocates.
