Keep Your Bird in the Hand
I was away on a family vacation last month. We stayed at a fantastic resort, but our first few hours there were horrible.
Check-in started at 6 pm. Though it's a vast resort, there were only 5 people behind the desk assisting customers. Each check-in took several minutes. Waiting guests stood in a queue separated by ropes, snaking back and forth like a long line at an amusement park. We waited in line for 2 hours before we reached the front desk.
Since the lobby is set up with retractable stanchions for this process, I assume the long wait happens every week at check-in. Which left me wondering – why plan on making your customers wait hours in line? Was that really the customer experience they could come up with?
There's an old saying, a bird in the hand is worth 2 in the bush. In other words, it's better to take care of what you have and maintain its value than to constantly be chasing after more and more.
Businesses often focus their marketing on attracting new customers but lose track of how much they can impact the retention of their current customer base by the way they nurture and communicate with them.
Here's a quick graphic I created to help you identify where your customers' experience is going great and where you might be able to improve it.
Whether your goal is to avoid losing them to a competitor, to entice them to buy your additional offers or to get great reviews and referrals, your current customers are one of the most valuable assets you own.
Nurturing your current customers could look like:
A digital welcome packet with more information about what it’s like to work with you
Signage/informational mailers/inserts that provide important info about your products
An email newsletter or welcome & nurture sequence so they can learn more about you, your additional services, or featured products and specials
A social media content strategy that adds more value so they keep returning for more
Product descriptions or sales pages on your website that give them all the detail they need to make the decision to purchase again
A downloadable freebie or special offer like a discount coupon in exchange for a referral
Overwhelmed by the possibilities? Good news – you don’t have to figure this out on your own.
Let’s chat about how I can help you make sure your existing customers have the best experience they can with you, so they’ll want to stick around and tell their friends.
