An Important Holiday Story: A Lifetime of Customers
Yesterday I called to cancel my monthly delivery of organic fruits and vegetables. The representative didn’t seem to care about the cancellation – she was only interested in the fact that I still owed $50 on my account. This surprised me, since I was holding an invoice for $25.00. As my confusion grew, so did the representative’s frustration and attitude – she couldn’t fathom why I didn’t understand their idiosyncratic accounting system. Although unpleasant, her “service” strategy finally won out – I became too tired to argue and just gave her my credit card.
All in all, it was a terrible customer service experience. But what really disappointed me was that the representative never once attempted to save the sale. She never showed any concern about losing me as a customer or any curiosity about why I wanted to cancel my subscription. She never asked what she could do to keep my business. I just didn’t feel the love!
Afterwards, I realized that all I really wanted was a personal invitation to stay. But alas, all she wanted was my $50.00.
How often does this happen at your company? How many customers are you losing simply because you are not asking them to stay with you?
During the holidays and throughout the year, customer loyalty is so critical to a thriving business. It costs five times as much to win a new customer as it does to keep a customer you already have.
So our holiday tip is to remember the importance of customer lifetime value. To put it simply, you should always be winning back your customers. Provide your front-line representatives with the skills they need to save the sale and show your customers that they CARE:
- Connect with each customer on a personal level
- Ask questions to find out why the customers is leaving
- Respond to concerns – and remind customers of the benefits you provide
- Encourage customers to stay with you
The Elkind Group sends Seasons Greetings and wishes for a very happy and prosperous New Year. Happy Sales To You!