4 Ways You Are Driving Customers Away

How many of your "customers" repeat purchase from you? Do you know? I ask because so many companies don't know or don’t care.

The tried and tested way to make money is to acquire clients at the lowest cost and then get them to buy again and again and again.

Easy really. So why don't more companies do it?

The commonest complaint and/or request I receive from businesses is; “we need more customers”. A few questions later; we’ve uncovered what is happening. We find that there are, in fact, lots of customers. The problem is the business isn’t very good at hanging on to them.

Too many businesses only focus on acquiring new customers. They forget about the rich vein of existing customers that they already have and could sell more to. The sales commission model nearly always drives sales activity towards new customers. Retention and repeat business is rarely targeted or rewarded.

It is bad enough to ignore your existing customers but it’s even worse to drive them away. Most businesses don't even realise they have driven these customers away.

Customers want to buy from businesses they know, like and trust and they want to be treated well. So, if you don’t want to keep your customers then here are 4 ways to drive them away!

1. Ignore your hard won customers. We all know what it’s like having to wait for shop assistants to finish their conversation before they serve you but you have to go further – you must keep in touch with them if you are to have any hope of making those valuable repeat sales. My blog Remember Me might help you.

2. Deliver inconsistency regularly. Customers really hate this. It’s what drives them mad before it drives them away. Your local restaurant is a great example. Sometimes you get a tablecloth others not, a biscuit with coffee other times not, a great meal sometimes, a hot plate sometimes – you get the drift. Perhaps it’s delivery times or stock availability that’s inconsistent.

3. Inconvenience the customer. Don’t mess customers about, don’t make them jump through too many hoops. Be sure to map the customer journey to make sure you erase any inconvenience.

4. Customers can’t cope with incompetence. You have do what you say you can. You wouldn’t dream of employing a fork lift truck driver to be a dentist or vice versa. Make sure your team can do the job and that any automation is accurate.

I’ve seen businesses secure 50%+ uplift in sales by getting this bit right. Remove the ‘in’ parts of your business and you’ll be consistent, competent and convenient; then stop ignoring customers and make more sales.

First step is to investigate what’s going on. Secondly talk to customers, ask them because you don’t know what you don’t know. Solve the problems; reset the standards and enforce them.

Need some help? Email me for an answer to your challenge.