When you think about what a business fundamentally does, “building relationships” isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. Building relationships seems more suited for a counselor or someone who is involved in a service related job. Too often, people’s perception of a business is about selling people things. This is true only on the most basic level. However, when you think about what goes on in a transaction, communication is essential, and the building block of a solid relationship. The way to outperform the competition is to think in terms of relationships rather than just sales.
The Most Reliable Customers Are Repeat Customers
One interesting business fact to consider is the majority of sales are repeat sales. When you think about it, it makes sense. People develop a sense of comfort when purchasing products from a trusted source. If you have lived in a community for a long time, you may have a favorite butcher you like to go to a plumber. The same is true for websites you trust.. There are places you tend to visit time and time again, and more comfortable doing business with people you know.. The personal touch has its place in even the smallest business transaction.
How to Turn One-Time Customers into Repeat Customers
One of the most important objectives of any business is to convert one-time customers into repeat customers. Once someone has purchased something from you once or twice and have a good experience, they are likely to keep coming back. Amazon’s model of suggesting new items to visitors based on past purchases is one strategy for turning one-time customers into repeat customers.
Another way to create customer loyalty is through engagement. There has to be something the customer finds appealing about your company beyond what you are selling. You may think it’s all about buying a product, but in reality, the customers are buying a brand and a service. You can promote customer loyalty to your brand through engagement. This could mean including them on your mailing list and let them know of an upcoming promotions and events. Or it may be involving your customers in contests to name a new product or to have a large number of customers reading your company’s blog. Customers interacting with your product in several different ways helps to build a relationship with your customers and can and improve the odds of receiving repeat business.
It takes a substantial amount of time and planning to find ways to build your relationship with your customers. It may mean finding ways to engage with them on social media effectively or add them to your mailing list. One of the many important tips for running a successful business is to get your business finances in order so you can focus on customer service or improve your product. Ways to do this include effective budgeting and making investments that will help you raise working capital.
Building business relationships take time and must be fostered and nurtured with care and attention to detail. Customers know when their needs are being taken into consideration and when they are being heard, and this attention is one of the secrets to building an outstanding brand.
To maximize the time required to focus on your business, you need to make sure your finances are healthy. You can do that through meticulous budgeting and consult an expert regarding investments you can make to grow your working capital.. If you have all of your business and personal finances in order, you can devote more time to finding ways to build relationships with your customers and promote repeat business.
