Good morning everyone.
Last week we spoke about what not to do in generating customer loyalty. Today let’s talk about how to generate “Fans” which is what we all want. Have you ever been to a concert standing next to thousands of other people singing the same lyrics as you as the band performs on stage? Have you ever been to a sporting event where you and the people around you are cheering for your team and sharing memories of how WE beat the rivals? How about a restaurant experience that you couldn’t help but tell others that they need to go to? Wouldn’t it be awesome if we had that kind of following for our businesses? I state it in a question, but we already know the answer. YES, YES WE DO!!!
In today’s world it is easier to get a company launched and with social media it is even faster to come to market with new products. Business owners are trying to find the quick ways to generate profits and return customers.
Here’s the secret sauce for doing this. It takes time! Sad, but true it takes time to generate loyal customers and Fans. As a business owner we need to define what we want. Do we want short-term profits or long-term success?
When customers buy a product / service from most organizations that is the end of the transaction. Unfortunately, the 90 days after a purchase are the most crucial for the customer. They need us to show them how to be successful with this new investment! If we simply take the payment and say, “Good Luck!” we’ll be looking back later wondering how our sales our down. People talk to people and social media makes it so easy to reach a larger audience with our opinions of a product / service.
The 90 days after a purchase are crucial to make sure the customer is using the product or service to its full potential. Think about some of the products / services you have bought only for them to be collecting dust because you did not know how to use them properly. We fell that infomercial we watched late at night lied to us. What do you wish you had been provided by the organization that you purchased that product / service from so you could have really used it to make and impact on your life?
Today with social media being easily accessed a small business owner can reach all customers with emails, videos, and webinars at the click of a button and with low cost. Why not make sure the customer has all the tools to help them be successful with our products? What about group events when you travel to a city to invite those customers out to network and offer support?
No magic, just simply focusing on the customer to make sure they are successful. They are investing their hard, earned money with us so we need to treat them like they are making an investment in us. They are taking a risk on our products / service so let’s help them be successful. Constantly reaching out with successful tips and trick and not just selling the customer something else is how we serve them well!
I have been reading a great book called “Fanology” by the David and Reiko Scott. They have great insight on how organizations have generated awesome fan bases that sustain long-term success. One part of the book that really stopped me and made me think was this quote:
“The relationships we build with our customers are more important than the products and services we sell to them.”
If we want to generate more “FANS” for our businesses we need to focus on how we can make them successful with our products / services that we offer. If we are not focused on serving the customer and building relationships with them, then our products / services become a commodity. The only differentiating factor in a commodity is price. It’s also not sustainable for long term growth for your organization because each day there are similar products coming to market for a cheaper price.
Focus on making the customer successful and building a relationship with them. Wouldn’t it be awesome serving and connecting with customers so well that they become fans and sell our products / services for us? Who wouldn’t want that a sales force that we don’t have to pay because they are so passionate about our product / service?
Sincerely,
Kevin Sidebottom