Loyal clients? They’re a dream come true. They’re the clients who aren’t seduced by attractive offers from competitors. The ones who think of you first, every time they need to make a new purchase. Clients who recommend you to everyone who’s prepared to listen … And even some people who aren’t.
You probably have clients like this. But they shouldn’t be taken for granted. They will leave if they believe you aren’t returning their loyalty. Unfortunately, two-way loyalty is an issue that comes up far too regularly.
Clients get little loyalty back
Loyalty is an emotion. And you don’t hold emotions for ransom.
But what do you do if a loyal client has been paying on time, year after year, before one day leaving it a little too late to pay their most recent invoice? Right. You send them a reminder. With a ‘reminder cost’. And it’s usually paired with some threatening language about what will happen if they don’t make the payment straight away.
The issue isn’t just related to late payments. It’s also far too common when you offer extras, bonuses and rewards. Because your older clients, who took the risk of doing business with you, back before you had proven your value, are often forgotten.
What will they think when they see that you reward new clients for their wait-and-see attitude? What will they think if you’re offering new clients benefits you never offered them? Exactly. **** ***!
And why would you only solve a persistent problem at the moment that a loyal client lets you know they’ve decided to take their business to a different supplier?
Make sure your clients feel your loyalty
It might seem like loyalty is only a one-way street. You put so much energy into new clients. And in detecting clients who are likely to head to the competition. You forget those quiet, loyal clients. It’s crucial to pay attention to them if you want to work on genuine loyalty.
For every marketing promotion, process design and all your communications, think about the possible effects on those clients who have been with you for a long time, but who barely make a sound.
What do you offer them to show you appreciate their loyalty? A birthday card is probably not the answer.
