WAYS TO MAKE CUSTOMERS FALL IN LOVE WITH YOUR BUSINESS

Just as falling in love with another person brings about a need to share this fact with others, when a customer falls in love with a business, they want to talk about it. Word of mouth is one of the most powerful marketing tools. Testimonials and success stories from customers spread quickly and sway more customers to buy-in. Reviews can have a much more significant impact compared to other forms of advertising and marketing strategies. Client opinions are considered objective and trustworthy.

Past disappointments and false advertising have led to customers being more skeptical about 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 they want and need. When you offer them what they want and continue to be consistent in providing for 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 your customers' shoes 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'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 put you way ahead of your competitors or behind them. Businesses that care about their customers are always willing to lose money 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 speak to the clients directly, so they can bring to your attention any expectations you may be missing. Customers can be lenient on expectations outside the agreed business transaction; if the service delivery promises are not met, they get frustrated. If you want your customers to fall in love with your business, you have to deliver on the services you promised as per the 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 consistently 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 is rooted in dishonesty. The cracks of dishonesty or lack of clarity will eventually show no matter how well disguised they seem to be. The trust might never be regained again; valued customers can be lost forever.

Customers 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 profit from it. Withholding some information to protect ideas or to try to decrease the chances of your customers going out to find cheaper alternatives will only deepen the distrust. Customers fall in love with transparent businesses. 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 unethical and unkind. A business built on greed and selfish desires also indicates that the poor treatment of its employees repulses the customers.

Ref: Ways to make customers fall in love with your business - BizBolts