In a Sea of Similar... It's Time to Differentiate
Posted by Nancy Mullin on Tue, Jun 29, 2010
Based on the responses to our blog survey so far... one of the topics our subscribers asked to hear about is how to attract new customers. So we did a little research and found some interesting articles on how to get new customers and build your repeat business.
The following are some of the best ideas we found during our research...
Build Relationships With Your Customers
No matter what business you are in, it's vital to connect with your customers and clients on things that are important to them. Staying connected through email and building a database are two of the recommendations in Turning Customers into Repeat Buyers. An email database gives you the ability to send special discounts to your customers and clients, promote an upcoming event, remind them about a birthday or anniversary and send links to online articles they might find interesting. The more you can personalize these communications, the more likely your customers and clients will respond to these promotions and tell their friends about your business.
It's All About Consistency & Circles of Influence
While the basis of getting repeat customers is to provide excellent service... the trick is to make sure their experience is consistently excellent... so they keep coming back. See why consistency sets Starbucks, Southwest and McDonald's apart from their competition in How to Get Repeat Customers: 7 Steps.
On average, how many people do you know... 200, 300, 400? Chances are that your customers and clients have similar circles of influence. With the new world of social media and online networking, these numbers are increasing. Learn how to use your customers' circle of influence as a way of expanding your sales force.
Differentiate Your Business From the Competition
Learn what you can do so customers buy from you instead of from your competition in 5 Ways to Outshine the Competition. According to this article, the five critical areas your business should focus on are price, added value, convenience, trust and conscience. We all know what price, added value, convenience and trust mean. But what does ‘conscience' mean?
Being focused on conscience has to do with being charitable and caring about your community. Get involved in your local community and invite your customers and clients to participate with you. Maybe there is a local park that needs cleaning up. By differentiating your business and standing out from the crowd... everyone wins... you, your customers and your community.