What's the secret to keep your customers coming back for more? Like everything in business, it depends on your specific market, your target audience and the goals and values of your business. While we wish we had all of the secrets for customer retention, we do know some incredibly effective ways to keep your customers running in the other direction. If you're interested in what not to do to keep your customers from slipping through your fingers, read on...
Here are 10 ways to ensure your customers want nothing to do with your business in 2023:
1. Don't go above and beyond
Customers want to feel valued and appreciated, so when we're talking about loosing customers, poor customer service is the best way to do it. As a small business owner, NEVER invest in training your employees on proper customer service etiquette and don't bother teaching them to handle customer complaints and issues effectively.
2. Don't listen to their feedback
Customers often provide valuable feedback that can help improve your business. One way to ensure they seek business elsewhere it by ignoring their feedback to make them feel undervalued and unimportant. Make sure to listen to your customers and disregard their feedback to keep them away from your services and products.
3. Send mixed messages
Customers expect consistency in product quality, pricing, and customer service, so consistent inconsistency will show your customers that you are unreliable and cause them to seek out options that don't leave them feeling confused or questioning your ability to get the job done.
4. Don't worry about communication
Customers value communication... that's true across the board. So, if you're looking to lighten your customer load, don't worry about it! Stop with all of the efforts to make sure they can easily stay informed about your products, services, and any changes in your business through regular communication channels like newsletters, social media, and email.
5. Leave them waiting for a response
Customers expect prompt responses to their inquiries and complaints. Failing to respond in a timely manner will make them frustrated, dissatisfied and unresponsive in return. If you're trying to keep your customers away, make sure to have ineffective systems in place that fail to respond to customer inquiries and complaints quickly and efficiently.
6. Underdeliver in all areas
Many companies make big promises but fail to deliver; a wonderful tactic for driving away business. There is nothing more disappointing to customers than when businesses make promises that they can't keep. Promising the world just to close the deal but failing to follow through will not only prevent your customer from coming back, it will ensure they tell everyone they know not to do business with you.
7. Never say thank you
Whatever you do, DO NOT thank your customers. Customers want to feel appreciated for giving you their business. Failing to acknowledge and thank them for their loyalty will surely drive them away. Even small gestures like personalized messages, special offers, and loyalty programs are going to keep customers around, so avoid at all costs.
8. Don't show up where it matters
In 2023, showing up online is essential for small business success. Failing to maintain a user-friendly website, social media presence, or online store can make it difficult for customers to find and interact with your business. And, if they can't find you they assume you're not legit.
9. Stay out of touch
Customers expect businesses to keep up with the latest trends and things going on inn their lives. Failing to adapt to changing customer preferences and expectations will tell your customer you don't understand or care about the things they care about. Keeping up with industry trends and continuously improving your products and services is something to be avoided if you're looking to drive away business.
10. Avoid transparency
Customers want to do business with companies that are upfront about their policies, practices, and pricing. If you aren't providing this information, it will lead to distrust and suspicion. Avoid honesty about your business practices and make sure that changes that you're anticipating in the near future are not communicated so that your customer is taken by surprise and is unable to prepare.
These are all the ways to ensure your customer goes running to your competition. In 2023, let's strive to show our customers how much they matter to us. By taking intentional action to increase your customer satisfaction and loyalty you can improve the profitability of your business and keep your people coming back for more.
Wondering what you need to do to keep your customers happy? Contact the MegoMedia team to get your business organized around your customer's values.
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