How To Gain Customer Loyalty To Increase Your Sales

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Who Is Your Customer 

A Customer is someone who buy or patronise a business. It can be refer to an individual who has a deal with a supplier, shop or business.

Customers, whether members of the public or other organizations, are crucial to the success of any business since they represent its fundamental source of revenue. It is therefore, crucial that businesses create a sense of loyalty among customers for their brand.

 Customers Versus Clients

A Customer is someone who offer money in exchange for goods and services from a store or business. The word, client, can also mean customer, according to the American Heritage Dictionary, but it has a separate definition as someone who receives professional services. In business, the two terms are often applied differently based on the types of relationships built.

Customers are generally people who come mainly to buy products or services you render. Clients buy your advices and solutions personalized to their particular needs. Customers could be one-time or repeat patrons, but generally lack loyalty to the company providing the products and services. Business such as retail stores, restaurants, service stations, supermarkets, banks and amusement parks typically consider their patrons as customers. Patrons needs are met by the fixed-form goods and services priced sell. Where products and services need a lot of personalization and customization, patrons are often thought as clients.

Closer professional relationship are built with clients over time. Businesses such as law offices, graphic design firms, talent agencies, accounting firms, health care providers and match-making services offer ongoing advice and specialized solutions to clients.

 The Place Of A Customer In A Business Enterprise

Customers are  assets to every business because they are the reason for the enterprise existence. The are stakeholders in a business enterprises who exert some level of responsibilities and control over how a business operates. Often time, small-scale enterprises fail to understand the influence of customers to their business. There is a misconception that they invested the resources required for the business and the customers cannot dictate how the business decide to operate. Customers, unlike other stakeholders such as sponsors, product managers and project managers, are they bloodline of a successful business.

Concern For Customers

What's your business or company's most valuable asset? Maybe your fantastic products, your supportive shareholders, or your brilliant team come to your mind. But without satisfied customers, you'real out of business.

In the average business, for each customer who complain about your products and, or services, there are 26 (twenty-six) who feel the same way and don't speak up. They customers who feel poorly served will tell between 8 (eight) or 16 (sixteen) people about their negative experience.

Thus: 1% die everyday, 3% move away to your competitors, 9% go for cheap rates, 19% are chronic customers, 68% leave due to bad or poor service.

 Understanding Customers Needs

Customers go where they are invited, and stay where they are treated well. Focusing on the customer and his experience at every customer touch-point is important. Customer service experience means giving customers extra satisfaction for the service rendered.

Customer needs may include but not limited to;

1. To be recognized and remembered

2. To feel comfortable about a want or need.

3. To feel respected and understood

4. To feel valued and be appreciated

TYPES OF CUSTOMERS 

It is important to know the various types of customers to be able to render superb customer service. People are unique with different character, belief and culture. They react to situation in different way with specific needs or wants.

The types of customers may include knowledgeable customers, irate customers, abusive customers, complainers, ramblers, timid customers and disinterested customers.

A. Knowledgeable Customers

These types of customers tend to know alot about the service and the industry. They ask questions intensely and get dissatisfied with unsure response. They may deliberately ask questions to test your knowledge and,  are hard to convince. They tend to be unfriendly and like to show off their knowledge.

• Ways To Deal With  KnowledgeableCustomers

1. Try to satisfy their queries as best as you can.
2. Do not show impatience
3. Do not try to convince or close from your side while conversing and Do not refer to the topic which you Do not have in-depth knowledge
4. Do not talk out of context
5. Do enough research and prepare before you meet him or her
6. Keep steady pace while conversing

B. Irate Customers

These type of customers have high-pitch speech that can cause burn-out. They usually pause for long, sigh and can be very demanding. Give short-terse answers and loud volume.

They are usually impatient, poor listeners and very aggressive. They can be impolite and abusive.

• How To Deal With Irate Customers 

1. Listen attentively to the customer
2. Accept and acknowledge the problem; don't give excuses
3. Don't be negative but endeavour to frame information in the positive 
4. Don't take anything an angry customer say personally
5. Don't delay take immediate action 

C. Abusive Customers

These are customers who goes beyond expressing anger about a problem.

They begin attacking the person handling their complaint or concern. 

May also result to personal attack.

• Dealing With An Abusive Customer

1. Stay calm
2. Understand that you are not the target.
3. Politely inform customer that you may discontinue further dealing with them should the attack persist

D. Complainers 

These types of customers are often sceptical, critical, and they can be very naggy.

• Ways To Deal With Complainers 

1. Pay attention to their complaint 
2. Tackle aggression with warmth 
3. Convey attention through your body language 
4. Find the best possible way to resolve complaints 
5. Confirm If customer is satisfied with the solution 

E. Ramblers 

These customers are usually talkative, disoriented, and uncertain of their want.

• How To Deal With Rambling Customers 

1. Ask specific open-ended questions to identify problem 
2. Remain cordial but focused 
3. Ask close-ended questions to maintain control of the situation 
4. Keep track of conversation and respond positively to non-business conversation from the customer.

F. Disinterested Customers 

They are usually distracted, ignorant and bored.

• How To Deal With Disinterested Customers 

1. Reassure the person who is not interested in buying 
2. Ask questions intensely while conversing 
3. Inform them about the product features and its benefits 
4. Maintain short conversation 
5. Do not show impatience 
6. Keep steady pace while conversing 

G. Timid Customers 

This can also be referred to as nervous or shy customer. He likes silence most, and, prefers to remain silent and avoids to talk. He is supersensitive and feels hurt If the salesman says anything against him. He does not want to display his knowledge but do not want to be criticized. Quick in taking decisions, select products at an early stage. These types of customers do not want to exhibit dissatisfaction openly. Instead, they take the decision to discontinue patronizing the business itself.

• Ways To Deal With Timid Customers 

1. Encourage conversation and questions 
2. Be focused on customers need 
3. Salesman should thank customer for being quicker 
4. Salesman should be on the look out to render his best services
5. He should convince customers in such a manner that he removes the doubt of being exploited
6. The Salesman should know reasons for acceptance or rejection by asking certain questions minutely and politely as customer's satisfaction is the foundation for sales. Tactful and timely advice, friendly attitude and courtesy will boost business patronage.

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