Captivated Customers Blog » Customer Relationships http://www.captivatedcustomers.com The blog to help you build customer experiences that drive customer loyalty & retention Thu, 11 Aug 2011 22:09:21 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Companies today are shedding business at an alarming rate due to one primary reason: a poor customer experience. But that doesn’t have to be your story. Research shows that building great customer experiences, not slashing your overhead, is the key to greater profits. Perhaps it’s because, in this day and age, the customer experience has never been more powerful – nor have customers ever been more vocal about it. When they have a poor customer experience, the first thing they do is tell their friends, and only 4% will come back after a bad experience. My clients call me “The Loyalty Lady” because I get results when it comes to creating an exceptional customer experience – the kind that creates loyal fans of your business. My number one goal as the Loyalty Lady is to help take your customer experience to an unprecedented level of success. Your Customer Experience Strategies matters. Let’s get started! Norma Huibregtse no Norma Huibregtse norma@captivatedcustomers.com norma@captivatedcustomers.com (Norma Huibregtse) The blog to help you build customer experiences that drive customer loyalty & retention customer service, customer experience, captivated customers Captivated Customers Blog » Customer Relationships http://captivatedcustomers.com/images/logo.jpg http://www.captivatedcustomers.com/category/customer-relationships/ The Loyalty Lady Drives Customer Retention http://www.captivatedcustomers.com/2010/07/09/the-loyalty-lady-drives-customer-retention/ http://www.captivatedcustomers.com/2010/07/09/the-loyalty-lady-drives-customer-retention/#comments Fri, 09 Jul 2010 18:16:32 +0000 NormaH http://www.captivatedcustomers.com/?p=2003 I’ve been given a few names throughout my career. From “sales pro” to “people person”, these names stuck with me. I am now known as The Loyalty Lady.

This name makes sense because I help small business owners improve customer retention by improving customer engagement.  As The Loyalty Lady, I do that by uncovering opportunities in your business to provide more value to customers and help you build customer relationships resulting in customer retention.

Customer Loyalty is complicated. But to simplify it, I’ve developed a simple equation that describes the components of Customer Loyalty. The equation goes like this:

Magic + Relationships + Value = Customer Loyalty

Magic is about creating an unanticipated, extraordinary experience that customers won’t forget. It brings to mind the experience my son just had in purchasing his Iphone at the Apple Store. First, Apple allowed people to pre-purchase the Phones so that when the pre-purchasers arrived to pick up their phones from the store, they had priority treatment with their own line. Apple also provided those who waited in line food, a drink and an umbrella to shield them from the Arizona Sun in June. It’s those special touches that help develop that loyalty.

Relationships drive customer loyalty as well. When people feel connected to you and your business, loyalty is right behind. People no longer want to be treated like sheople. Customers want to be noticed, appreciated and valued. Building these relationships takes time and are built with each experience a customer has with your business. Look for opportunities to strengthen the relationships with your customers from the first time they do business with you and beyond.

Do you provide Value through your products and services? In an MSN poll, customers were asked “what is your number one customer service expectation?” The top answer was product knowledge (over friendliness and readily available staff). Customers today won’t put up with businesses that don’t support their needs and wants. Given that, we want to be sure that our front liners have the product knowledge they need to provide value to their customers.

Customer retention and loyalty are the keys to your sustained growth. As your Loyalty Lady, I want to share with you innovative ways to drive loyalty and sales. Turn up the magic, build relationships and provide value to your customers and watch what happens. Wishing you all the success you can handle,

The Loyalty Lady

Norma Huibregtse

Norma is an innovative Customer Experience Strategist, Business Coach, Blogger and Speaker. Her goal is to inspire business owners to captivate their customers and turn them into raving fans so that their businesses can experience increased profits and more fun. Contact Norma at (480) 694-6940, by email at norma@captivatedcustomers.com or visit the website at CaptivatedCustomers.com

More from Captivated Customers

Captivated Customers Recommends

Blog Margeting Related Posts Plugin For Captivated CustomersAsk Captivated Customers To Recommend Your Posts Blog Marketing Related Posts Plugin Counter

]]> http://www.captivatedcustomers.com/2010/07/09/the-loyalty-lady-drives-customer-retention/feed/ 2 Skype for Small Business – Create a More Engaging Customer Experience http://www.captivatedcustomers.com/2010/06/23/skype-for-small-business-create-a-more-engaging-customer-experience/ http://www.captivatedcustomers.com/2010/06/23/skype-for-small-business-create-a-more-engaging-customer-experience/#comments Wed, 23 Jun 2010 17:21:28 +0000 NormaH http://www.captivatedcustomers.com/?p=1904

Do you Skype for business?  I believe it is one of the most underutilized, low cost communication methods for micro and small business owners to stay connected to their customers, colleagues, potential employees so that they can save TIME and MONEY.
Skype (rhymes with Hype) is a software application that allows users to make voice calls over the Internet. Voice and Video Calls to other users within the Skype service are free, while calls to both traditional landline telephones and mobile phones cost 2.1 cents purchased through a user account system. Skype has also become popular for its additional features which include instant messaging, file transfer, and video conferencing. To use Skype, all you need is a PC or Mac computer, an internet connection (broadband is best), and a webcam to make video calls.
The possibilities are endless for using it for business.  I recently read about a Hair Salon that allows potential clients to Skype during preset hours to answer questions about their service.  Instead of a simple phone call, you can put a face to your business which will help them feel more connected to your business.
One of my clients needed to hire new employees for her business.  I suggested she set up initial interviews on Skype to quickly approve and disqualify candidates for a second interview based on that initial interview to save her time and money.
What about free consultations or follow-up consultations you do with clients.  Better than a phone call, you can use Skype to make this visual contact with your clients or potential clients.
These are just 3 examples of the use of Skype for business.  Check out the Skype case studies and see how you might apply it to your small business.  Oh, and remember to add your Skype Address to your business card!
My Skype address is “captivatedcustomers”.  If you would like a free ½ hour consultation about improving your customer experience to drive more sales, you can Skype me Friday afternoons between 2-4pm Arizona time.  Simply email me to schedule your Skype session at norma@captivatedcustomers.com.
Norma Huibregtse of Captivated Customers

Norma is an innovative Customer Experience Strategist, Business Coach, Blogger and Speaker. Her goal is to inspire business owners to captivate their customers and turn them into raving fans so that their businesses can experience increased profits. Contact Norma at (480) 694-6940 or visit the website http://captivatedcustomers.com.

Captivated Customers on FacebookNorma Huibregtse on LinkedInCaptivated Customers on YouTubeCaptivated Customers FeedNormah1 on Twitter

Captivated Customers Recommends

]]> http://www.captivatedcustomers.com/2010/06/23/skype-for-small-business-create-a-more-engaging-customer-experience/feed/ 0 Customer Retention Builder – Need Customers for Life? http://www.captivatedcustomers.com/2010/06/13/customer-retention-builder-need-customers-for-life/ http://www.captivatedcustomers.com/2010/06/13/customer-retention-builder-need-customers-for-life/#comments Sun, 13 Jun 2010 22:07:55 +0000 NormaH http://www.captivatedcustomers.com/?p=1593 What would our businesses look like if we told our customers that we want to do business with them for life?  Whether you are the owner of a retail establishment or a micro business owner, this customer retention technique can make a difference. The best time to do this is when our customers first do business with us.

As a former cosmetics consultant, I would make it part of the sales process to communicate with my new customers that I not only valued the initial sale, but I let them know that I wanted them to be customers for life.  It made a huge difference in building that customer relationship.

Just think about it for a minute.  Let’s say you went to a coffee shop and the counter person said to you as you were purchasing your coffee: “Thank you for coming in. We want you as a customer for life as long as you’ll have us.”

You might be taken aback by that type of statement but I believe most customers would be flattered to hear it.  It shows your customers that you appreciate their business and you have extended an offer to come back. Combine that with an offer to a new customer for a buy one, get one next time they visit and you might end up with two new customers for life.

To boost customer relationships and customer retention in your business, tell your new customers that you want create a lifelong relationship.  You’ll be glad you did!  And when you do, tell us all about it by leaving a comment below.

We want YOU to be our Customer for Life!  Join the Captivated Customers Club to receive your E-Newsletter, Special Offers, Updates, and FREE Customer Reports:

7 Strategies to Turn Your Customer Service into CASH
5 Stop-It-Now! Customer Service Mistakes

For Email Marketing you can trust

Norma Huibregtse of Captivated Customers

Norma is an innovative Customer Experience Strategist, Business Coach, Blogger and Speaker. Her goal is to inspire business owners to captivate their customers and turn them into raving fans so that their businesses can experience increased profits. Contact Norma at (480) 694-6940 or visit the website http://captivatedcustomers.com.

Captivated Customers on FacebookNorma Huibregtse on LinkedInCaptivated Customers on YouTubeCaptivated Customers FeedNormah1 on Twitter

More from Captivated Customers

Captivated Customers Recommends

Blog Margeting Related Posts Plugin For Captivated CustomersAsk Captivated Customers To Recommend Your Posts Blog Marketing Related Posts Plugin Counter

]]> http://www.captivatedcustomers.com/2010/06/13/customer-retention-builder-need-customers-for-life/feed/ 1 Look Who’s in Your Customer Base http://www.captivatedcustomers.com/2010/05/12/look-whos-in-your-customer-base/ http://www.captivatedcustomers.com/2010/05/12/look-whos-in-your-customer-base/#comments Thu, 13 May 2010 01:09:08 +0000 NormaH http://www.captivatedcustomers.com/?p=1469 Do you know who your customers are?  They can be identified by the relationship they have with your business.  They are either Promoters, Passivists, or Punishers.  Once you identify who’s who, you can accurately target your customer engagement to these specific customer segments.

Promoters are your fans and advocates who love doing business with you.  They purchase the most, they buy more, and they provide the bulk of your referrals.  Your Passivists can take you or leave you.  If a better offer comes along, they are the first to shop elsewhere.  Your Punishers are your customers who are your repeat complainers who like to tell others about the poor experience they had with you.

Our job is to take a look at our customer base and identify each of these customer segments.  Make a list of your Promoters and ask yourself how you are engaging this group.  They want to be in your VIP Club, they want special offers, they want to be part of a customer focus group.  Engage them differently and watch what happens.  They will be even more excited and motivated to tell others just like themselves that they should do business with you too.

There could be several reasons why your Passivists are not loyal.  Make a list of these customers, the ones who do business with you sporadically.  Find out why they haven’t been purchasing from you as they did before.  Determine which of their needs aren’t being met and fix what you can.

The third segment is your Punishers.  We’ve all had them.  They complain frequently and they return products often.  Get in front of these customers and have a conversation about their needs.  Often, you can convert these dissatisfied customers straight to Promoters if you can resolve their issues. Sometimes the best thing you can do is to let them go.  But take the high road.  If you know of someone else in your industry that would be a better fit, be willing to arrange an introduction.

Customer engagement includes knowing your customer segments. Your goal should be to identify these segments and follow this plan:  keep your Promoters engaged, fine ways to move your Passivists to Promoters, and move your Punishers to Promoters or move them out.

More from Captivated Customers

Captivated Customers Recommends

Blog Margeting Related Posts Plugin For Captivated CustomersAsk Captivated Customers To Recommend Your Posts Blog Marketing Related Posts Plugin Counter

]]> http://www.captivatedcustomers.com/2010/05/12/look-whos-in-your-customer-base/feed/ 1