Five (5) Ways of Sustaining Continuous Customer Patronage

Relationships are the building blocks of life as it is popularly said that no man is an island. One main objective of any and every business venture is to make profit and for profits to be made, sales must be made. Again, another attribute of business ventures is provision of service to its clientele. With this said, it becomes pretty obvious that the success or failure of any business venture is to a large extent determined by the level of patronage by the service users otherwise referred to as customers. Thus, for business owners to ensure continuous patronage by their customers they would have to maintain as well as sustain good business relationships with their customers. Now, the question that needs to be answered in this regard is the question of how to achieve this, that is, how does one ensure that a (good) business relationship is maintained as well as sustained, with the service users? Well, read on….

So you are thinking about the different techniques you could use to ensure that your customers keep coming back for more business deals with you or with your business enterprise, well, perhaps you should add these to your list;

#1 Maintain Quality over Quantity- now I know some entrepreneurs who might think otherwise, but the truth is quality products and services, will keep your customers from drifting away- it will ensure their continuous patronage. Now, especially for start-up business owners, it has been observed that with an increase in demand, the temptation to reduce quality and increase quantity usually arises, however, it will do you well to focus on improving the quality of your products or services than to do otherwise. Increasing quantity may very well increase your demand but in a situation where you reduce the quality as well, it will become detrimental to your business in the long run, why? It is so because with time people would rather opt for something of a higher quality than what you have to offer. I mean what if some competition arises and your competitors are offering a higher quality product/service, who do you think would receive a higher patronage? Of course, it will be those with higher quality products and services. And please have it in mind that it is easier to get new customers than to try to win back the hearts of former customers who have very likely moved on to better quality products and services. With this said, I think you can now see the importance of maintaining quality. So if you really want to sustain your business relationships with your existing customers then think quality over quantity.

#2 Offer Discounts- yes! I mean who wouldn’t love discounts? And I do not mean that you should do this all the time, but especially during festive periods it is good tradition to offer discounts especially to your faithful customers. So whenever you have such an opportunity, be sure to cut down the price(s) of your products and/or services, this will be a really good incentive that will ensure continuous patronage both from existing customers and even from new ones. And when you are known to offer discounts regularly it will ensure continuous patronage.

#3 Get Personal- every good business man or woman knows the importance of getting to know their customers better. Relating with your customers on a personal level is very good for your business. This is quite an easy task especially if you know the right questions to ask. For instance, you could try to initiate a conversation that shows your concern about your customer’s well-being, health, family, career, and education as the case may be or simply ask to know about their well-being, this can be done even while trying to make a sale. You can also go as far as wishing them well on their birthdays and wrapping gift packs for them. This will add an emotional touch to your business relationship- your customers will not just patronize your business services merely for what you have to offer but they will do so because they relate very well with you.

#4 Call to Get Customer Feedback- this is a good practice because it shows your customers that you care about their opinions and views. A business owner must do well to always remember that his/her business is more about the service rendered to people than even the profits he/she makes, thus, getting regular feedbacks from the customers and making the necessary adjustments where necessary will help sustain the business relationship between the customers and the business owner.

#5 Be Creative and Organize Fun Events- Ever heard the phrase, “all work and no play…..”??? Your clientele base will determine the kind of event you’d host. For instance, in the corporate world, a tea party with your clients will be more accepted than a party with DJs and clowns everywhere. The latter could come in handy when your business involves regular interaction with younger people or kids, they’ll (that is, the kids) appreciate better, a clown party than they will, a tea party. Holiday seasons are the best times for organizing such events, but remember, you must do what suits the kind of business you are engaged in as that will lead to more effectiveness. Also leverage such an opportunity to get customer feedback from your clients.

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That's it guys! Had to keep it simple and straight to the point! Kindly leave your comments below in the comment box below 😉. It's still a 'February for Love' on ElmaDavid Blog, so be sure to spread love and trend love, and this time make sure you do so to your business clients as well!!!