Four Simple Ways To Nurture Customer Relationships

You don't have to be in a niche industry to know how important it is to nurture the relationships that you have with your current customers, your past customers and even the customers that you could have in the future. Your customers are the bread and butter of your business, and they are imperative to the future of your business. Maintaining your past customer relationships is just as – if not more – important than the bonds of customers in the future. It should be a productive and fruitful relationship that moves both ways; otherwise, your customers stop being interested in what you're offering and they start to shop elsewhere.

Companies often spend a lot of time pouring their energy into finding as many new customers and new business as possible. They'll put out offers and deals for new customers, completely forgetting the customers that they already have. The thing is, the biggest market that is important to your business doesn't lie in the customers of the future; it's the customers you already have. Acquiring new customers can often cost more than retaining the customers that you already have, and so it doesn't make any sense to continue to pump money into acquisition than retention.

With all of this in mind, it's up to you to ensure that you do everything that you can to maintain your relationships with your customers. Your retention has to be on point to be successful, from the customer relationship management programs you use to the offers you have. As well as that, you should look into every avenue to improve your customer relationships – including taking the time to find out why Spiro is different from other CRMs out there. Where you can improve, you should. Here are five simple ways to nurture the customer relationships that you have so that you can build trust and cement their loyalty:

Remain Intentional

The hardest thing to do is to have the right mindset when it comes to nurturing customer relationships. Plan to engage and find the right opportunities to do so; don't wait for it to fall into your lap. If you make a point of prioritizing the relationships (including trying out different CRMs!), you're going to have better success.

Pay Attention

It's so easy to interact with clients you're chasing down because you want to win business and sell yourself and what you do. For the customers that you already have, it's harder because you need to pay attention to what they want. The best thing to do is to document what you know about your current customers and make your services tailored to what they want from you in the future.

First Dibs!

People who are loyal to your business deserve to be the first in line to know what's going on with you and what changes you're going to be offering. Building customer loyalty includes giving them the very first look into what you're doing – and when you're bringing out new products. This helps your customers that are in your existing database to know they are valuable to you. Those first looks into new products, new services and generally new ideas give your current customers the chance to feel like they belong in your circle, and it's also an excellent way to generate a little interest and buzz surrounding your company.

Ask For Feedback

When you ask for feedback from your existing customer base, two things can happen. The first is that they're happy to be asked. The fact you asked your customers what they think about you shows that you care about what they believe, which makes them feel important and wanted. The second is that you're going to get the valuable feedback that you need for success from customers who are actually sure about what you are and what you do.

Remain Present

Where you can, you need to be as present as possible after the customer lifecycle is complete. Never stop engaging and communicating with your clients, because all you will end up doing is making them feel used. Customers need to have you touching base to ensure they know they are not forgotten about.

Your whole business – from the sales team to management – should be concerned with how customers feel about it. It's important that they feel like you care about what they're doing and it's important that you maintain a good relationship with them. Be purposeful, and you can ensure a strongly developed relationship.