We spend a lot of our time thinking about how to continuously get new customers. We believe that the more new customers we get, the safer the success of our business is. But sometimes we must also stop and think about the customers that we have already achieved. Establishing a lasting relationship with each and every one of them is a good way to ensure a more constant income flux. That is why today we want to talk about the three most important and effective strategies to create these long-term relationships with our customers that can further the development of our business.
1. Face to face is much better than email
The first rule for building lasting relationships with your customers is that you should find time to meet them in person. This is the way of communication that more trust generates between two human beings. It may seem inefficient, but finding time to have coffee or lunch together can empower your relationship. Both small talk and business conversation are stimulating and customers will appreciate speaking with a human face, not with a piece of text on a screen.
2. Be transparent and helpful
Another way to establish long-term relationships with your clients is to show them that you think about them and that you get in touch when it is necessary or beneficial. For example, if there is a reduction of costs by a supplier, be it a shipping line or an airline, be the first to let your customer know. In this way you generate benefits for both the customer and your own business and you establish yourself as an honest company that cares about their interests. After all, who doesn’t like being the first to take advantage of a discount and save some money? Help your customers so that they can also help you in the future.
3. Be always there for the client
Finally, if you want to establish lasting relationships with your customers, you must be 100% at their side when an incident or problem may arise. Many things can go wrong in a shipment due to causes that are external to our control. Sometimes goods are held at customs points. Unforeseen events such as robberies, accidents, strikes or bad weather can also arise. It is not always possible to solve these situations, but it is possible and necessary to inform the customer at all times, if only to say “we are still without news from customs, John has left for the port and as soon as we have news we’ll inform you”. It is in these situations that one wins or loses one customer forever.
These are the three main strategies for building lasting relationships with your customers, but there are many more. Always remember to try different points of view and find the one that best suits your business. If you always put the customer in a preferred place and think about them and their needs, you can not go wrong.
