Everyone loves a great deal, right? If you are a repeat customer, then not necessarily. When you offer too many discounts to your customers, it can signify desperation. Additionally, it may cause them to wonder how you are slashing prices- especially when it affects your quality. This does not mean that you should avoid discounts at all costs, but you should not offer them so frequently that you send your company profit into a downward spiral. Instead, consider offering discounts on a certain weekend, percent off coupons after a certain amount is spent, or another creative way to pass on savings without harming your future profits.
Feeling so Confident that You Don’t Make any Effort
Another mistake that you may be doing is feeling too confident. Even if customers are satisfied with the service or product you offer, it does not mean they will become a repetitive customer. Some may already be loyal to a brand, but will buy yours when their first choice is not available. When you are overly confident and don’t put forth an effort, it is likely the sales you have will reflect that.
Failing to Honor Policies
If you stand behind your great customer service then you must deliver it, every single time that a customer comes to you for your product or service. You also have to choose employees that will honor the policy. This goes for any policy that you implement within your company. Be sure that members of management and each of your employees can deliver, otherwise, you may lose loyal customers over one bad experience.
Failing to Change Your Methods
The balance between customer expectations and your promises has a lot to do with a customer’s overall experience. For example, if your customer’s expectation is equal to the promise they have from your brand, they will be satisfied. If their expectation is greater than what you deliver, they will have a poor experience. Finally, when their expectations are less than what is delivered by your company, they have a great experience. Unfortunately, these expectations can change at any time. For this reason, you must pay very close attention to what you are promising customers versus what they are expecting. Finding a healthy balance is essential to create (and keeping) your customer’s loyalty.
Sending Out Too Many E-mails
A loyal customer is most likely on your company e-mail list. Unfortunately, if you send out too many e-mails, even the most loyal customer may feel like you are spamming their inbox. They may start sending all of your company’s emails to the spam folder, which defeats the purpose of sending them out in the first place. Additionally, sending out too many e-mails signifies desperation instead of a desire for repeat customer purchases. This can significantly backfire on your level of customer loyalty.
Customer loyalty is not something that can be bought- it must be earned. To earn it, however, you must follow the right techniques and avoid all the wrong ones. While stopping the practices on this list are a great start to building customer loyalty, it does not stop there. Remember that expectations are always changing and you must tailor your techniques to meet them.
Lautaro Martinez is a small business owner and freelance writer. Aside from running a smooth and effective business with the help of Fattmerchant, he ensures that his customers recieve exceptional service. Lautaro enjoys sharing tips and insight for running a business through his articles. If you would like to learn more about Lautaro, check out his Google+profle.
