Chapter 17 Chapter Sixteen Improving Customer Loyalty

If you have the ability to provide customers with good service, make customers satisfied, and then build trust and loyalty with customers.Then you will find that your loyal customers will continue to buy products and recommend them to others, so that your business income will continue to grow.So some people say that as long as the customers are stable, a substantial increase in corporate profits is inevitable.Since customer loyalty is the path to long-term profitable growth, why not spend more time and thought on retaining existing customers?We know that the cost of acquiring new customers is very high - including advertising, sales, starting a new business and customer learning process.The cost of retaining customers only includes the cost of maintaining services and communication costs, and this cost is on a downward trend.In stark contrast to cost, the lifetime value of a loyal customer grows over time.

How do you market to people who have never heard of the brand?Obviously, it is not easy to compete head-to-head with some brand-name products that have already occupied the market.How can you expect people to buy your product if you can't differentiate what you offer from those of your competitors?It's not very useful to speak nice words to a client, because everyone speaks them.You have to find a way to show customers benefits they can't get from other competitors.So, how do you let your potential clients know that you have something special to offer them? Here's a brilliant idea - let customers sell for you, and your old customers can bring you many new ones.In addition to the direct economic benefits that old customers can bring to the company, the most important thing is that the recommendation of old customers is one of the important reasons for new customers to patronize.Because as a social animal, human beings' personal behavior will inevitably be affected by various groups, among which family, friends, leaders and colleagues are important reference groups that have constant and lasting influence on them. These groups will generate pressure and make everyone Behavior tends to be consistent, which affects individual product and brand choices.

But it should be noted that all marketing methods should focus on creating customer satisfaction.Without the quality and service that satisfy customers, it is impossible for him to introduce new customers to you. Old customers speak out to infect new customers In the off-season of sales, the boss began to think of a solution as he watched the company's performance continue to decline.He organized a series of garden gatherings and preferential measures for new and old customers, allowing old customers to introduce the product situation and usage experience to new customers.And many of the old customers he selected are "experts" and "contacts", and they took the initiative to spread product information.At the same time, with the help of communication and interaction between customers, it brings a certain amount of environmental pressure to those who participate in the event, forming an environment of mutual infection.Moreover, the company attracts more new customers to join the event through some preferential policies for new customers.As a result, his company's total sales exceeded peak season levels in less than a month with almost no mass media advertising.

"Gold and silver awards are not as good as customers' compliments, and gold and silver cups are not as good as customers' word-of-mouth." Word-of-mouth publicity is an ancient and effective marketing method.Its advantages lie in good accuracy, strong pertinence and high reliability.According to research on the influence of word of mouth communication on consumer behavior, it is found that the influence of word of mouth communication is 7 times higher than that of media advertising, and 4 times higher than that of promoters.Consumers switching brands are more influenced by word-of-mouth than advertisements, and the influence of the former is twice that of the latter.In the process of changing consumer attitudes from negation, neutrality to affirmation, the role of word-of-mouth communication is 9 times that of advertising.

As an enterprise, you should try your best to establish a profitable, stable and continuous business partnership with customers in order to achieve the purpose of continuously increasing business volume.In general, the truth is: we help our friends and people we like more than we help other people.Because in real life, everyone is eager to establish good interpersonal relationships and strengthen friendship between each other.If you want regular customers to help you introduce potential customers, the first thing you need to do is to gain the trust of the other party. As long as customers like you, most of them will help you.

There are generally two ways to find new customers from old customers: One is that customers take the initiative to recommend for you. If this happens, you have only one way to do it, which is to impress customers.Only when the customer is moved by you, he will take the initiative to recommend new customers for you, otherwise he has nothing to say to new customers.But when you touch your customer, he will be willing to introduce you to new customers. Whether it's because of your high-quality products or caring service, or even a small gesture, it is possible to move customers.Sometimes, maybe a customer return call can move a group of customers.There are many specific means, but there is only one root cause, which is to move your customers.

The other is that you ask the customer, and the customer passively recommends it for you.There are many means of this approach, but the effect is often mediocre.For example, you can use promotional methods to require customers to fill in another customer’s information to get promotional prizes. Customers may recommend new customers to you, but the quality of the recommendation will be severely reduced, and the recommended person will not recognize it. this way.Therefore, it is really a good way to seize every opportunity to impress customers. In short, if you want to get new customers from old customers, you must first be friends with customers.Whether it is the best salesperson, doctor, teacher, etc., no matter what industry, as long as the person who is well received and praised by everyone is mostly the person who is approachable and makes friends with the people he serves.So the way to ask your customers to recommend new customers to you is first to make friends with your customers. After you become good friends, it will be logical for both parties to help each other.

In addition, in order to motivate old customers to recommend customers, you can also formulate reward systems and rules that encourage old customers to refer new customers.To implement it effectively, you need to establish a multi-media marketing and service implementation system based on customer databases, such as loyalty programs, membership marketing, and other marketing activities aimed at building customer loyalty. If you are a manufacturer, making your products unique is an important principle of success, otherwise, in this era of homogeneous commodities, it is impossible for you to stand out.Specifically, it is to pay attention to every little detail and reflect your uniqueness.

The goal of the famous Swiss Swatch watch is to show its uniqueness, delicacy, fashion, art and humanity in every detail of the watch.In addition, with the seasons, Swatch is constantly changing themes.Dial, hour hand, minute hand, strap, buckle...all are the source of creativity of Swatch.It tries to make every idea of ​​the enterprise get the most perfect interpretation in such a small space as a watch.The image and color of each watch, in every detail, imply the password of youth and personality, perhaps this is one of the reasons why it is so popular among young people. These products are different

Watches seem to many people to be nothing more than a tool for recording time, but Jean-Marc Vacheron doesn't think so.In his mind, watches can become works of art, which makes "Vacheron Constantin" sold in jewelry stores and fashion stores all over the world, rather than in mass merchandise stores.The same watch, Vacheron Constantin has become a souvenir, a piece of history, a piece of handicraft, and an emotional sustenance for consumers. Every year, people are anxiously waiting for the new Vacheron Constantin with exquisite craftsmanship. Ballpoint pens are seen by many as nothing more than a tool for recording words.But Paul Fisher doesn't think so.In his mind, a ballpoint pen can become a work of art.A "400 chrome-plated bullet pen" developed by him has been displayed for a long time by the "New York Museum of Modern Art" as a model of craft design.Its "Flying Shuttle Space Pen" has special ink, sealed air-pressure refill, super-hard tungsten carbide pen ball and precise pen tip after more than 20 processes, which allow the ballpoint pen to be used in the weightless state. In the heat of 200 degrees, in the cold of minus 60 degrees, in water, on stones, on oily surfaces, and on X-ray films, it can always write smoothly.Today, the shuttle pen that turned on the manual switch of the rocket engine of the lunar module and saved Aldrin and Armstrong has become a treasured item of many consumers.

Why are these products that we use every day so different?Whether to produce a tool for consumers only or to create a refined work of art depends on the attitude of the producer.Likewise, whether your product is lost among its peers or stands out from the rest depends on how hard you work. We often hear complaints from business owners or dealers, saying that our business is too difficult to do, and the profit is so low that we can only maintain the status quo, so we might as well switch to other careers.In fact, we have now entered the era of meager profits, and the previous era of huge profits no longer exists.But this does not mean that you have no profits to fight for. There are also companies and products with particularly prosperous businesses on the market. Some brands have sales of several hundred million in a region. They are either strong brands or outstanding personalities.Since your own products have no individuality, you can only compete with others by price. If others lower their prices, you will also lower them, and you will also give gifts when others give them. Of course, the profit will be low.In fact, as long as you put in some effort to enrich the value layer and outer layer of the product and make your product unique, your product can still enhance its competitiveness and make money for you. To make your products unique, you can start from three perspectives: product perspective, specifically packaging, quality attributes, brands, etc., to reflect differences; consumer perspective, including age groups, hobbies, occupations, etc., to make your products The product is suitable for a certain group of people; from the perspective of the situation, what occasion to consume your product, whether it is breakfast, wedding, Chinese New Year, party, etc.We can also start from the sales process: in terms of price, such as unified pricing and no counter-offering; in terms of promotion, a large number of people are used to sell, no advertising or outdoor advertising, etc. In addition, when introducing products to customers, you can also say that the products are different.This is not to make you lie, but to find out the difference between your product and other products: (1) You have to find out the sales base of the product.For example, Coca-Cola, which has been selling well all over the world for decades, chose a sales basis that people can accept, that is happiness.Although Coca-Cola's advertising words have changed again and again, the basic point of selling happiness has not changed.The same is true for you. You should introduce your products around the sales base of your products, that is, besides bringing practical value, what else can your products bring to customers? (2) Identify the biggest differentiators of your product.We say that no gold is pure and no one is perfect.Similarly, there is no absolute good or bad for a product, the difference lies in whether the customer really needs it.For example: some customers like famous brands, some customers like benefits, some like convenience, and some like fun.Therefore, you must find a position for your product. (3) Visualize and concretize your product production process.For example, the raw materials are green and pollution-free, how many processes have been passed, or how many experiments have been passed.In short, it is not exaggerated but in line with reality.In fact, which product does not need to go through complicated processes?But if others don't say it, if you say it, your product will be different. (4) Make a fuss about after-sales service, highlighting the humanization of products.Many salesmen often forget to introduce the after-sales service of the product when they introduce the product, or think that we will talk about it after everyone cooperates.In fact, you'll get better results if you tell your customers before the sale. (5) Explain the purpose and design intent of the packaging.In the fierce market competition, packaging is also one of the magic weapons to win, especially for daily consumer goods.Therefore, it is also an important part of product introduction to distinguish similar varieties by packaging.The introduction of the design intention can also extend the uniqueness of the product. In short, as long as you are willing to use your brain, you can always find out the uniqueness of your products, so that your products are different from those of your competitors, so as to avoid falling into vicious price competition. In the process of product sales activities, it is always accompanied by a certain amount of labor service payment. These labor service payments are carried out around providing convenience for customers, meeting customer needs, and making customers feel satisfied before and after purchasing products. It is carried out to establish reputation, attract customers to buy, and enhance competitiveness. The level of service quality is closely related to the size of product competitiveness and the role of attracting customers.In the process of market sales of similar products, if your product is on par with competitors' products in terms of quality, price, performance, etc., and the sales service you provide to customers is not as good as your competitor's in terms of service attitude, in terms of service If you are not as advanced as your competitors in terms of methods, as rich in service content, and as wide in service scope as your competitors, then your customers are likely to be attracted by your competitors and you will fall into a passive position in market competition. . Therefore, enterprises must attach great importance to the quality of sales services, continuously improve service attitudes and methods, expand service content and service scope, and strive to provide customers with high-quality services in order to maximize customers and make themselves in the market competition in this industry occupy a dominant position. If you look at the truly successful companies today, you will find that they all have one thing in common: providing the best customer service in their respective industries.There are no exceptions for internationally renowned large companies such as International Business Machines Corporation and FedEx Service Corporation.The products you sell are the same as those of other companies. The only reason why you can outperform others is service, effective service, high-quality service, and unique service. Impeccable service brings added value The same is to be a dentist, and someone can make the service of the dentist five-star.There is a dental clinic that advertises that "going to the dentist can be very happy." The director of the clinic said emotionally: "Does it have to be painful to go to the dentist? My entrepreneurial partner and I want to open a dental clinic that makes everyone happy and satisfied." This kind of service attitude, coupled with careful consideration of the real needs of patients, makes this clinic very different from ordinary dental clinics. As soon as you enter the door, you will be greeted with a spacious and comfortable waiting area of ​​about 30 square meters.Before seeing your teeth, you can sit on the sofa and sip a cup of fragrant coffee in the sound of soft music.When you really enter the dental process, you can also feel the considerate hardware facilities: each consultation room is spacious and bright, and all of them are equipped with air purifiers.Mouthwash is pure water that has been treated with reverse osmosis.As long as it is the first time to register for a dental visit, the doctor will definitely take a panoramic X-ray of the oral cavity and teeth for the patient, and finally clean the teeth and add fluoride for free.When the family comes, there is even a special consultation room for the whole family to visit together. In terms of software, as soon as the patient rinses his mouth, the female assistant immediately and considerately wipes the corners of the patient's mouth dry.After tooth extraction or surgery, the doctor or female assistant will definitely call the patient's home to care about the patient's condition that night.A disabled person went to the clinic to have his teeth pulled out, and was taking a shower when he came home at night. He heard the phone ringing, and crawled to the living room to answer the phone with difficulty. Being ignored, no one has ever cared about me like this." From the very beginning, the desire to provide services that impress the patients has enabled the clinic to win the market and enhance its competitiveness.Although the clinic is located on the 6th floor of a commercial building, the clinic attracted media coverage as soon as it opened, and customers came all the way to see the clinic.In a highly competitive market, this clinic has created the added value of a dentist with impeccable service, and has also brought prosperity to its own business. Service is an indispensable part of product sales activities, and it is also an important means to win the trust of customers and market competition.Under the conditions of increasingly fierce market competition and more and more choices for customers, the quality of sales service has a decisive impact on the sales performance of products.Customers not only expect to buy high-quality products, but also hope to receive high-quality services. You must at least meet their psychological needs, and then exceed their expectations on this basis. On November 1, 2005, the stock trading system of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, the second largest stock exchange in the world, was suddenly paralyzed, causing the trading of 1,520 stocks and bonds on the Tokyo Stock Exchange to stop on that day.Investigating the cause of the accident, it turned out that there was a malfunction after the software upgrade.The shocking thing is still to come. On the morning of December 8, the operator of Mizuho Securities in Japan placed a huge sell order by mistake. Due to problems in the trading system, they could not accept the cancellation order, resulting in a loss of more than 40 billion yen for Mizuho Securities.How dare customers use such a software operating system with confidence? In this era, there is not much difference in products. What means should we use to increase product sales and increase product profits?Many people first think of a price war, to seize the market first, keep competitors out, or make them withdraw from the industry.This is naturally the fastest and most effective method, but it is impossible for the vast number of small and medium-sized enterprises, so what method should we use?For manufacturers, product quality is the fundamental means for enterprises to retain customers.All, grasping the quality barrier is an important means for small business products to win in the market. Without quality assurance, even if a product successfully lands in the market, its vitality is short-lived, and there are endless crises hidden behind it.Only by ensuring product quality can we gain market recognition and have continuous market demand.For small enterprises, increasing the scale of production and sales can effectively reduce the unit cost and get a certain degree of quality assurance.With quality and cost control, it is equivalent to eliminating the market space for imitating competitors and winning a unique market share for the development of the enterprise. A blessing in disguise to win the trust of customers Four years after coming to Guangzhou to work, 22-year-old Zhaodi has her own dream factory——Zhaodi Fabric Manufacturing Company.With youthful enthusiasm and love for career, she and her sisters designed and processed by themselves, and spent a month carefully making a batch of dolls with different shapes and well-behaved shapes.These dolls sold surprisingly well in the market, and the decorator happily invested in the second tranche of funds, and promised Zhaodi to occupy 50% of the company's shares.In this way, Zhaodi finally took the first step in her career. Those who work hard in the business world will inevitably be contaminated with some treacherous habits, but Zhaodi has always regarded honesty as her creed in life and business, and because of this, her client base is getting wider and wider. Once, the company signed a big order.After the delivery as scheduled, the other party's payment of 500,000 yuan was transferred to the company's account.The happy Zhaodi called all the department heads and went to the restaurant to celebrate. "Finally, the backlog of cotton wicks has been emptied." Yang Xiaoying, who was in the middle of a drink, blurted out, a sister who had lived and died with Zhaodi.After some cross-examination by Zhaodi, Xiaoying finally admitted that she and her sisters mixed moldy cotton wicks into the dolls. "Haven't you thought about the consequences of doing this?" Zhaodi put down her chopsticks and looked at Xiaoying, "Those who buy dolls may be infected by bacteria. If there is a problem, will someone come to buy our dolls again?" ?” It was the first time Zhaodi got so angry at her sisters. The next day, Zhao Di called the customer to apologize, then went to explain in person, put a check of 500,000 yuan on the customer's desk, and said sincerely, "Although you can't accept this matter, I still represent the company. I sincerely apologize to you and the staff. If you still believe in us, we will immediately rework everything and promise to do a good job.” Seeing that the other manager didn't speak for a while, Zhaodi bowed deeply, turned and left.Every step she takes is very heavy. The company finally got a big order and can take the opportunity to develop, but let herself lose it like this. Is it worth it?At this time, a series of hurried footsteps came from behind, "Mr. Chen, please wait." It was the manager's voice!She turned around, and saw the other party holding up the check, "I believe in you." In this way, Chen Zhaodi won the customer again with her sincerity, and established a good and long-term cooperative relationship with their company. Never take your chances and try not to cheat your customers.Even just once can ruin your reputation.Customers may not find out now that this business can be done, but what about in the future?If there are no problems, that's all. Once there is a problem, who can bear the responsibility?When dealing with customers, small businesses must ensure quality and make customers feel that you can trust them. Otherwise, the future is really in jeopardy and development will be difficult. We know that small businesses do not do very well in quality spot checks of many products, especially food. The "Product Quality Law" clearly requires enterprises to correctly and clearly mark the quality characteristics of products. Why do small enterprises always fail to do so?It is because many small enterprises often have speculative psychology, and release products that fail one or more indicators to the market.Some indicators directly related to personal health and safety are unqualified, which will cause harm to consumers, and this behavior of ignoring the rules is also harmful to the long-term, sustainable and healthy development of the enterprise itself. Although your business is small, take a long-term view.Small businesses are where the potential for economic development lies, and big manufacturers are born among them.Product quality is an important part of how a small business can gradually mature from a temporary backwardness.As an entrepreneur, do you put quality first in your business thinking?