How are you treating your existing customers?

I came a cross a couple items recently that I thought were great examples of how to treat existing customers -- remember, these are the people who are currently funding your pay cheque.

The first was posted by Micah Solmon at the ultimate customer service blog. He talks about an experience he had with The New York Times when approached with a FREE gift subscription offer. When he told them he was already a subscriber, they gave him the FREE gift anyway as a thank you for his business.

The second is a letter from Steve Jobs to early adopters who purchased an iPhone and could be upset that the price had dropped by $200 after only 2 months. He offers a $100 credit towards future purchases, while also providing some explanation on why they have decided to drop the price this soon.

Both examples demonstrated a genuine commitment to treat customers like we all want to be treat -- with honesty, respect and integrity.

Clearly, it costs money to execute these types of examples. But what is the value returned by the increasing trust (and resultant loyalty) to the organization. And shouldn't we be investing in our existing customer to keep them happy versus try to "buy" new customers?

How often have we seen companies offering deep discounts to new customers while locking existing customers into old pricing. How does this make the existing customer feel? What kind of loyalty does it create when a repeat purchase is available.

Companies that "win" on price often find that they lose on "price" when the next company offers a better/new incentive because there is no loyalty factor built into the relationship.

Are you treating your prospects better than your existing customers?

What can you do for your existing customer that demonstrates that you appreciate their business -- without breaking the bank? I'd love to hear any ideas that you are using.

Cheers!

Bill's passion is improving business results by working with leadership teams to change employee behaviours. He does this by equipping leaders with the principles, processes and tools to cultivate an engaged customer-focused culture.

As well, he is a dynamic, results-oriented speaker on the importance of a customer-focused culture, either as a guest speaker or acting as a facilitator of a group discussion/workshop.

For more information please contact (905) 841-3191
Email: bill@billhogg.ca, Web: http://www.billhogg.ca/