It’s a tale as old as time.
Business owners provide a service and the customer doesn’t want to part with their money.
That’s why it’s important for business owners to create repeat customers who actually want to pay them.
Why Repeat Customers Are Important
Quite frankly, it’s much easier to retain repeat customers than it is to go find a new one.
It’s also much less expensive because you don’t need to spend as much marketing.
If someone has already purchased from you in the past, they are far more likely to buy from you again.
The secret sauce is in making it a pleasure for people to work with you and actually pay you. Here are x ways to create repeat customers using simple methods.
Have great customer service.
One surefire way to create repeat customers is to have spectacular customer service.
There are several ways to do this in the online space, including:
- Using Twitter as a customer service hub.
- Creating a self-service customer service space with something like Zen Desk.
- Managing a Facebook group for your tribe where you can have an FAQ page.
- Having an FAQ page on the company website.
There’s also good old-fashioned emailing which can go a long way in helping someone with customer service.
Now, as the business owner, you may not be doing the customer service yourself. This means you’ll need some sort of operations manual for whoever you hire.
Have little extras for your clients.
A coach I’m currently working with is fantastic with the little details that make her company’s customer experience a pleasure.
In her case, if a client spends a certain amount of money, she’ll send them a gift like a beautiful journal.
During an in-person retreat she hosted in Puerto Rico, she gifted mosquito spray and a water bottle to each of her clients.
Another example of someone who does this very well is my assistant. She’ll send me a Starbucks card for my birthday every year because I love Starbucks.
These little actions can go a really long way when you’re trying to create repeat customers. And it’s a tax deduction to boot.
Admittedly, I’m not very good at these sorts of things in my own business. However, as I move toward leading group coaching programs it’s definitely something I’m going to start paying more attention to.
Make it easy for people to pay you.
Sometimes it’s not that a client doesn’t want to pay you. Sometimes it’s that you’ve actually made it very difficult to get paid.
Speaking as a customer of many businesses, I value convenience. If you don’t make it as easy as possible for me to pay you with a credit card I’m going to get annoyed. I want my points and cash back.
In fact, I’ll probably take my business elsewhere if someone else makes things more convenient for me.
As for the business side of things, making it easy for people to pay you adds to the user experience. A good user experience equals repeat customers. It also ensures you actually get paid in a timely manner.
The easiest way to make it easy for people to pay you is to have several different methods of accepting payments. That way, you can cater to different needs.
Do everything with your customer in mind.
An overlooked factor in creating repeat customers is, ironically, the customer.
I speak to countless business owners each week who haven’t even done basic homework on getting to actually know their customer.
And sometimes I speak with business owners who have done the homework but haven’t actually used it to grow their brand and business.
For example, my branding reflects the kind of like my customer wants to live. I also use the same language they would use to describe certain things.
Little things like that go a very long way in someone relating to you and wanting to buy from you.
Because I’ve done such a good job of getting in my customers’ heads and expressing that through the branding, I have a steady stream of people who have been following me for years.
I also have people who are willing to happily pay me for my expertise.
Now that I’m in the middle of creating my first high-ticket group coaching program, I’m creating it with my customer’s needs in mind.
I’m literally asking them what they need so I can create something that feels custom made to them.
If you’re able to do that, you’re going to sell out of whatever it is you’re trying to sell to them.
Brand everything.
Another way to add to the user experience and create repeat customers is to brand everything.
Essentially, you want to create a consistent message and feel throughout every aspect of doing business with you.
Here are some of the ways to brand everything for a better user experience that creates repeat customers:
- Brand your invoices.
- Use your shopping cart as an opportunity for branding.
- Make sure your email signature is also consistent with your brand. In fact, add your photo to it!
- Have a consistent theme throughout all of your social media channels.
- Take advantage of things like Facebook cover photos to tell people about upcoming events and freebies.
These are just a few examples of how branding plays a role in creating a great user experience. The key is to make sure your customers are being hit with reminders of who you are, what you do and how you are helping them.
Stay in communication.
There is nothing worse for a client or customer than to feel like they’ve been ghosted.
That’s why above all else you need to make sure you are communicating with your customers on a consistent basis.
For example, don’t let your email marketing go dead. Otherwise, people literally forget who you are.
If you want repeat customers who want to pay you, you’ll need to stay top of mind. That looks like communicating with them regularly.
Final Thoughts
By creating a good user experience and staying consistent in your messaging, you’ll have repeat customers who will be more than happy to pay you for your services. It’s a long game, so make sure to play it.
