You have invested so much in acquiring customers for your business; not just in money, but also in time.
From the marketing budget to the endless sales appointments.
It therefore makes sense that you want to be able to get the most out of your work. And that means not just getting a single sale from a customer, but instead creating a long-lasting relationship that results in repeat sales, all with little extra work.
In fact, acquiring a new customer costs 5x as much as retaining an existing customer.
But turning customers into repeat customers doesn’t happen automatically. It requires some input and some extra thinking.
In this article, we will look at practical steps to help turn customers into repeat business, helping you sell more windows and doors with less effort, including:
- Remarketing
- Loyalty discounts
- Personal treatment
- Help them out
Let’s take a deeper look at some of the customer retention strategies.
Remarketing
You have spent money on marketing to acquire new customers, so why not spend a little extra money on remarketing to existing customers?
Whilst those customers are already aware of your business, they may not think of you the next time they’re ready to purchase (particularly for trade customers), or they may have purchased windows previously, but what about when summer rolls around and they could be in the market for a conservatory?
Remarketing to your customers could be through paid means, such as Google Ads, or even as simple as sending a follow-up email a little while after their last order.
Social media is one area that is great for keeping in touch with customers on a long-term basis, helping create that long-term relationship. Ensuring that your most qualified customers are following you on social media, so that you can keep them up to date on new product announcements, new offers, or just keep them in the loop on industry news.
It’s all about keeping your business at the forefront of the minds of your customers.
Loyalty discounts
People love nothing more than a deal, and that couldn’t be more true in any other industry than the double glazing industry.
But to help retain a customer, providing a loyalty discount can be the deciding factor between them sticking with you, or looking to compare quotes like when they first became a customer.
For example, you could offer a trade customer a small discount for buying windows or doors in bulk volumes. This helps to provide a larger order, whilst also helping to retain the customer.
Personal treatment
More so when dealing with trade or business customers, keeping an element of personality to the relationship can be key.
Providing each customer with a dedicated person who they can contact, meeting up regularly, and creating a more personal relationship can help to keep that customer coming back.
Making them feel like you care about the success of their business and work with them to achieve their goals, will help create a long-lasting relationship.
Help them out
From time-to-time, we all need a little help. Whether it be a trade customer or even a homeowner, a helping hand can go a long way.
If your trade customer is needing help with growing their business, providing assistance to help their business will strengthen the relationship, whilst also potentially leading to more business, or if they are coming up against a new initiative such as the Green Homes Grant scheme and need guidance on how to get the most out of it.
For a homeowner, providing a strong after-sales service can solidify a long-lasting relationship and improve their overall rating of the quality of the work. Whether it be a door not opening smoothly, or some condensation forming, providing guidance and information to your customers can help put them at ease. This can either be in the form of helpful articles, or direct communication when a problem arises.
If all else fails… turn customers into new customers
Having exhausting the above strategies with existing customers, don’t neglect the opportunity to turn existing customers into new customers.
Encouraging existing customers to leave reviews, be it on Google, Facebook, or any number of other review platforms, can help to convert more people and businesses into customers.
What’s more, working to ensure customers are pleased and happy with the service provided can lead to referral opportunities. Whether it’s one business talking to another and recommending your services, or one person recommending your business to a friend; it all adds up to free marketing opportunities that can help grow the customer base.
Employing these strategies should help increase your customer retention rate, and help to grow your business for the long-term, with lasting relationships.
If you are looking for a manufacturer that helps grow with your business, speak to our team today. At TruFrame, we help our customers reach their goals with a range of marketing support designed to suit them.
