Pillar: Nurture · Retain Customers · SEO Packages · Week 4 of July
You did the work to get the lead. You did the work to convert them. You did a good job, and they are happy. It is the next step that even I missed for a while: your past and current customers are your salespeople. They are your referral network.
That is why knowing how to retain customers is just as important as finding new ones.And if you do not stay in touch with them, the next time someone asks them for a recommendation, they will recommend whoever they heard from most recently. That might not be you.
Why didn't they recommend you?
Here is a situation I see all the time. Somebody asks a mate to recommend someone, say for a new website, and the mate recommends someone else. Not me. Now, the reason was not that they did not like me, and it was not because they had a bad experience. It is simpler than that: they just were not thinking of me at the time.
Your happy customers know exactly how it feels to work with you. They are out at networking events, talking to their neighbours, talking on Facebook, and people ask them, “Mate, who should I go to?” The only question is whether you are on their mind when it happens.
How do you retain customers after the sale?
I have asked plenty of business owners this. You have all these people you have dealt with over the years: people who love you, people you did a good job for. What do you do with them? “Oh yeah, they are in an Excel sheet.” And what do you do with that Excel sheet? Nothing.
Well, why not? You do not have to sell them anything. Just send an update on what you are doing, how you are going, and any new services you have added, because times change and there is always something new happening in every industry. Even once a month, send a little email or a social post, because you are connected with them there, too.
What does that actually look like when it works?
Someone asks, “I need a good electrician.” And the answer comes back, “You know what, I received something from Barry, my electrician, just the other day. He did some work for me three years ago, and it was a really good experience. Give him a call.”
That is how easy it is. And that lead cost you nothing except a couple of minutes to think about the email or the post you sent to your whole database.
Where does a CRM fit into this?
CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management, and the important word in there is relationship. For everyone who finds you in any way, shape, or form, whether they have worked with you, are working with you, or have come through your website or social media, their details go into the CRM. From there, you control your email activity and your social posts, and once it is set up, it quietly looks after the process of staying in touch, so all those people keep up with your business without you lifting a finger every day.
What about free CRMs?
Do not fall into the trap of, “Oh, this looks easy; here is a free one.” Nine times out of ten, free tools are not actually useful to you. I have tried a lot of CRMs, and the moment I needed to do something that really mattered, suddenly it was the premium package, the platinum package. Then it is out of your budget, and you stop using it altogether.
Find something that includes everything you may need and where the amount you spend each month is the amount you will keep spending. There should be no surprises, which is exactly what I promise my own customers.
What does this mean for you?
Every person you have ever made contact with, including the ones who did not buy, is worth staying in touch with. That is what nurture is all about. So this week, find that Excel sheet and ask yourself when those people last heard from you.
If the answer is “never,” one monthly update is all it takes to be the name that comes up when their mate asks for a recommendation.
That is the simple answer to how to retain customers: stay connected, provide value and keep the relationship going.
What is the next step?
I can recommend the CRM I use myself, but more importantly, I can help you set up the whole staying-in-touch process so it runs without you thinking about it. Book a free discovery call, and we will look at what your existing customer list could be doing for you.