Nibletz Staff
When you are starting up a business, it’s all about your idea. You might do some market research, and begin to realize that your business model might just have a shot of success – so you get on with business, put your head down, and get that product or service out there.
But once you launch, if you still carry on thinking that your idea is going to clean up, you are, sadly, mistaken. Because if you want to enjoy success, you will need to start listening to your customers, not forge ahead with your own ideas, regardless of what anyone else thinks. Here are some ideas to ensure your business is listening – and acting on – your customer’s needs.
Acquire and retain
Finding new customers is difficult, time-consuming, and expensive. It makes more financial sense to start looking after your current clients, and stop leaking them to the competition. The average company loses around 10% of its clients every year, so if you can start thinking about beating that figure, you will go some way to ensuring a bright future. It’s also important to understand that if you can retain just 2% more of your current clients, it has the same impact as cutting 10% of your costs.
Be passionate about it
It’s no good just giving customer service lip service – you have to have a thorough understanding of it and also put your knowledge into action. Believe in the old adage that the client comes first, and you will retain them. See the world – and your product – through your customer’s eyes and you will understand what they need – and how to provide it to them.
Talk in their language
Once you understand your customer’s needs, talk to them in a way that helps them understand you have, or are, part of the solution. Your tone of voice is critical, here, and it is a vital part of the customer strategy you will need to form to achieve some success.
Develop relationships
It’s important to understand the impact of customer centric companies on their audience. If you can prove to your clients that you are solely focused on addressing their needs, you will find you start to build high levels of loyalty that can last for years. So, start using data and analytics to find out what your customers are asking you – and don’t be afraid to use surveys or after sales calls. The more information you can gather, the easier it will be to speak to your customers and provide a first-class experience.
Develop your products and ideas
Finally, ensure you are tweaking, changing, or even ripping up products that your customers aren’t buying. Your original idea might have got you to the ball game, but unless you are adapting products and services to their needs, you won’t get to see any action. Commit to focusing on your customers, and provide them, wherever possible, with the services they want to see.
Do you have any tips for keeping your focus with customers? Feel free to leave them in the comments section below!
