One of the keys to business success is developing customer loyalty.  One of the most important things that any business owner can do to earn customer loyalty is simply by keeping their customers happy.

If your customers aren’t happy and feel like they – and their business – are valued, not only will they not purchase from you again…the word will spread that they’re unhappy, causing you to miss out on even more business.

Thankfully, keeping customers happy isn’t really that difficult.

Listening For Customer Loyalty

You’ve probably heard before that you were given two ears and one mouth for a reason, and that is so that you can listen twice as much as you talk. By taking the time to truly listen to each of your customers when you get the opportunity to talk to them you are letting them know they are important to you.  And when customers feel important and valued they become loyal to you and your business.  And, you may be surprised at what you learn.

Empower Others to Make Customers Happy

If you have employees or contractors working with you, it’s very important to give them some power to satisfy customers without having to check with you. If price adjustments need to be made or a return has to happen, and your contractors or employees can’t do it on the spot, it will make the customer very unhappy. (And we don’t want that!)  It will also make for frustrated staff.

Positive Experiences Create Customer Loyalty

Try not to ever say no…learn to be a “yes man (or woman).”  It’s true that at times you’ll have to return your customer’s money and take a hit on your bottom line. However, if you can find a way to do it without ever saying the word “no” and spinning everything into a positive, you’ll be surprised at how fast customers will become positive too. Even a customer who got their money back will say good things about you if you were positive and fair, and they are likely to buy from you in the future.

Make It Easy for Customers

It can be difficult for your customers if they can’t get service easily. There should be different ways to get customer service, ranging from online FAQ, to a help desk, a toll free number, or even Twitter customer support. If you have a face to face service business, when you empower your staff to help your customers, you’ll make it easier for everyone.

Respond to Customers Immediately

One of the things that gets customers in a bad state is having to wait too long for a response. Even if you do not have an answer yet, respond to let them know when you might have an answer. It’s important to provide a resolution for problems quickly and with as little emotion as possible.

Following Up and Staying in Touch

Keeping in touch with customers on a regular basis is an important part of keeping customers happy and developing the customer loyalty that helps your business thrive. Always contact your customers after they’ve purchased something from you to find out if they liked it, what you can do better, or collect other information and feedback. It doesn’t matter if you and the customer had problems in the past, if you resolved them then it’s perfectly okay to stay in touch with the customer.

Finally, be honest with your customers and they’ll be honest with you. Give them a fair deal and they’ll be fair to you. Customers really just want you to be dependable and competent at your job, while giving them the attention they feel they deserve.  These are the keys to developing customer loyalty for your business.

P.S.  Looking for an easy way to stay in touch with your customers and keep them happy?  Here’s the customer loyalty system I use for my own business, as well as my clients’.  Check it out here.