Most
customers are willing to spend money with the same
brand – again and again…
In a sluggish economy, consumers spend less and
less. As a result, your company's growth will have
to come from:
1) Retaining your existing customers
2) Taking business away from competitors
In order to achieve such endeavor, you should first
listen to what the customer has to say about his/her
intentions and expectations.
We all recognize that the driving force of long-term
profitability is repeat business from your customers.
To be sure, offering a good product at a good price,
and a good location is important -- but the interaction
between your front-line employees and your customers
can also help develop or disrupt that loyalty.
This of course may sound like a page from one of
your books on “Business Management”
or “Marketing 101” but for most of us
(and several others) this simple practice can be
surprisingly complicated. In order to attract, satisfy,
and retain customers, you must know what they need,
expect, and perceive in every phase of each transaction.
We all know how hard it is to measure and define
customer expectations, satisfaction, perception
and intentions. We also know that “satisfied”
customers are much less likely to remain true to
your company than those who are "totally satisfied."
Measuring their “level of satisfaction”
is as critical as delighting them [read: exceeding
their expectations] with your products and services.
In addition knowing what brought them to you, [what
they initially expected], and finally what they
intend to do after their visit is also of critical
importance.
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