When customers fall in love with a business they are motivated to talk about it. Word of mouth is a powerful marketing tool. Testimonials and success stories from customers spread quickly and sway more customers to buy in. This method of marketing can have a much bigger impact when compared to other forms of advertising and marketing strategies. Businesses sell themselves through advertising in order to make a profit, external parties that talk about their experiences working with the business have nothing to gain or lose. Their opinions are viewed as objective and true.
Past disappointments and false advertising has lead to customers being more skeptical when it comes to advertising and marketing. They trust the opinions of friends and family and/or online testimonials more than marketers and advertisers. How can you make your customers fall in love with your business so that they can speak positively about it?
Understand their needs
Before you can make your customers love your business, you need to understand what it is they want and need. When you offer them what they want and continue to be consistent in providing their needs, you are on your way to earning their love and trust. It is important to remember that this is not a once-off exercise, customer needs may evolve with time, what worked yesterday might not work today. Keep your ear on the ground and be willing to make adjustments to retain their love.
Customer experience
There is no better way to work on the customer experience than to put yourself in the shoes of your customers and apply the Golden Rule – treat them how you want to be treated. Be intentional about how you want them to feel. If you have businesses premises you can make them as comfortable as possible. If you have staff members you can train them to be courteous and friendly at all times, and offer incentives for good service. Do whatever that’s required to enhance the overall customer experience.
Quality
You wouldn’t have a business if you were not offering a service or a product. The quality of the products or services you provide can either put you way ahead of your competitors or behind them. Businesses that care about their customers are always willing to go as far as losing money in order to ensure that the quality of the products they provide is not compromised. Depending on the type of business you are in good quality can mean freshness or longevity. Whatever “quality” translates to, it will make your customers fall in love with your business.
Deliver on expectations
Expectations are usually built on service delivery promises. Anything that’s outside the agreed business transaction will need you to directly speak to the clients, so they can bring to your attention any expectations you may be missing. Customers can be lenient on expectations that are outside the agreed business transaction, if the service delivery promises are not met, it gets frustrating for them. If you want your customers to fall in love with your business, you have to deliver on the services you promised as per business agreement and go the extra mile by enquiring about other expectations they may have. Customers want to deal with businesses that are reliable and always deliver.
Transparency
Some customers have been victims of manipulation and trickery; as a result, they don’t do well with the lack of transparency. Taking on the assumption that customers are passive can lead to you dealing with them in a way that lacks transparency and rooted in dishonesty. The cracks of dishonesty or lack of transparency will eventually start to show no matter how well disguised they seem to be. When the trust is lost it might never be regained again, valued customers can be lost forever.
Customers do understand that businesses need to make a profit and they are open to purchasing whatever convenience they need, knowing very well that the business will make a profit out of it. Withholding some information in an attempt to protect ideas or to try decrease the chances of your customers going out to find cheaper alternatives, will only deepen the distrust. Customers fall in love with a businesses that are transparent. Being transparent doesn’t mean that you need to divulge unnecessary details about the business. Purposely hiding or withholding some information for selfish gain and exploiting vulnerable customers is both unethical and unkind. A business that’s built on greed and selfish desires, also reflecting that on the poor treatment of its employees repulses the customers.
