Attracting and retaining long-term clients is a powerful strategy for growing your business. Long-term clients are likely to feel more satisfied, are more likely to refer others, and are more likely to purchase additional services from you. The savvy solo professional or small business owner gains big from focusing on these 10 sound strategies for long term client retention.1. Focus your marketing on existing clients. Your current customers have already overcome certain hurdles to doing business with you and are more likely to buy from you again. Focus most of your time, efforts, and resources on better serving your current clients. Go deeper rather than wider.
2. Be consistent in your approach and interactions. Treat your clients with honesty, humor, and respect and maintain this over time. Present a consistent, solid, and professional style to your clients - one that they can grow to depend on.
3. Follow through on your commitments to them. If you promise to send information or to follow up, be sure to do this. You'd be surprised at how many professionals promise to send information, but then never do. You will gain loyalty and trust by doing what you say you will do.
4. Allow yourself to connect with them. Find out about their lives, their hopes, goals, and desired outcomes. Ask questions that encourage a deeper sense of shared understanding. The greater
level of connection, greater mutual satisfaction.
5. Have fun. It's easy to get caught up in goals, outcomes, deliverable and all of these are, of course, vitally important. Clients do want outcomes. Also, they want to work with people who enjoy what they do. The more fun you can have while providing strong outcomes, longer your clients will stay.
6. Position yourself as a resource for life. I tell all my clients, at beginning, that I want to be their coach/consultant for life. That means they can always come back to work with me no matter how much time has passed between our meetings. This strategy has worked extremely well as I often get calls from clients from four, five and six years ago - whenever they are in need of a goals tune-up. Clients appreciate knowing they can come back whenever they choose.
