After you’ve attracted traffic to your home business website and converted at least 2% of your visitors to paying customers, your next challenge is to maintain their loyalty so you can sell to them again. Retaining your clients for the long term is usually only a matter of keeping them happy and satisfied which isn’t rocket science; however many entrepreneurs usually fail to pay attention to customer satisfaction and they pay the price, both literally and figuratively, in the end. Here are the 5 quickest ways to lose your customers to the competition:
1. Many business owners make the mistake of ignoring their new clients after they’ve made the sale. Failing to follow up with their new patrons to find out how the buying process went for them and to see if there’s anything you can do to help them can make any future purchasing decisions for your customers very easy and not the result you want to hear. The first step in the customer retention process is immediate follow up after the sale and providing excellent customer service thereafter.
2. Making false claims about what your product can do or failure of your merchandise to deliver as promised may be the biggest blunder a business person can make. This is not only irresponsible but is closely related to fraudulent activity and is no way to run any type of enterprise either offline or on the Internet.
Your reputation as an honest and reputable entrepreneur on the web should be your prime consideration and if your character is questioned for any reason it becomes very difficult to recover and this is an easy way to lose not only your customers but your livelihood as well.
3. If you’re delivering a physical good to your new client provide realistic delivery times. Don’t tell someone they will receive their product in three days if it could take three weeks. This creates a terrible impression from the outset and makes your customer wonder what other false claims you may have made which you can’t deliver. This makes any future promises you may make ring hollow for your client and may make them think twice about doing business with you in the future.
4. If you have a phone number on your website for your patrons to reach customer service you should make sure there’s someone manning the phone when they call. People want immediate assistance when they’re having a problem with their merchandise and voice mail or worse yet no answer will have an immediate impact on any future buying decision by your client.
Customer service should be a priority for any home business owner who’s interested in customer retention. You should have a knowledgeable and friendly person, whether it’s you or an employee, ready and able to help your clients with any problems they may be having and they should be available during the hours specified for service on your website.
5. Failing to demonstrate your appreciation to your customers for their business can be detrimental to maintaining their loyalty. Not only should you follow up immediately after the first sale but on a regular basis thereafter. Send an email with an offer for your clients only, with a discount included, as a way of thanking them for their loyalty.
Better yet send them a gift of a free product on their anniversary date to show them your appreciation. It’s the little things that go a long way toward making a lasting impression on your patrons.
Of course there are many other ways to lose your customer’s confidence and allegiance but if you focus on a daily basis on providing the best customer service possible at all stages of the sales process, as well as afterwards, you will go a long way toward ensuring the longevity of your home based business online.