Most businesses hope to do two things: keep and grow their current customers and find new ones.
Referrals are the best source for acquiring new customers, but most businesses are not very good at receiving them because they do not have a program to get referrals consistently.
Our team frequently talks about the experience we want our clients to have and their actual experience with us. Customer experience is very important to us because we know that quality referrals are a direct result of delighting our customers.
How do we serve our customers so they will talk about us? It is not easy, but we try to focus on doing a few things well:
- Know Who We Are – It seems counterintuitive to focus on ourselves first, but we have found it is important that our messaging accurately reflect who we are so prospective customers can determine if we are a good fit to serve them or not.
- Know Who Our Ideal Client Is – Every business is not the right fit for us. We want to be clear about who we can add the most value to.
- Express Gratitude – Showing genuine appreciation is difficult if it is not an intentional act. Our team strives to let the people we serve know how much we value them and want to help them succeed in their endeavors.
People want to know they matter and that someone cares about them. If a business makes sure their customers know they are valued, it is much more likely they will be a long-term client and an enthusiastic referral resource. To win in business, an organization and its team must go beyond transactions.
Acquiring new customers is difficult. In future blog posts, I will be sharing strategies that have helped us successfully grow our customer base.