Sean McGorry
Contributing Writer
Direct Energy/Success Academy
If you want loyalty from clients, you must first be loyal to them!
Have you noticed that everyone has a loyalty program? If you actually used all of the keychain tabs they give you, your key ring would look like the one the school janitor used to carry. I always wondered how he managed to walk straight with the Jacob Marley-like keychain on his side. In looking at the industries that excel in these programs, they are restaurants and retail stores. Do you consider your business to be retail? Perhaps you should.
Why are clients loyal to you? Are you the lowest priced provider? Are they in a maintenance agreement with you? Are they one phone call away from moving to another? Do you have those clients that you have made mistakes, things went wrong, yet they stuck with you? Loyalty is a two-way street, one that is traveled by both parties. Your end of the loyalty is not simply fulfilling the terms of the of your maintenance agreement, it’s fulfilling the terms of your value proposition that is at the fundamental core of why you are in business.
The first phase of your loyalty comes with training. Do you have the proper training at all levels of your operation to ensure that clients are getting the care they deserve? This is not one of those posters hanging on the wall in your office. It is not a catchy phrase when the phone is answered. It’s the whole of the company understanding that there are other companies to choose from, and every call to your office and to a client’s home is an opportunity to show loyalty. Loyalty in the form of having the client’s best interest at heart and top of mind, showing that you care. Remember the adage “They don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care”. Is your office trained to have empathy for their situation and the urgency to get it resolved? Are your technicians trained to diagnose properly, look at the entire system and offer repairs and solutions to resolve future issues from arising?
The next phase of your loyalty is the little things. Too many times in the service industry we overlook some simple ways to show loyalty to clients. It is not always about a free service call. So if that is not it what is it? Too many times, we overlook the little things. Why take a home run swing every time, when many times it is only a single that is needed. When is the last time you sent a card to a client on the anniversary of their first time using your company, the date their equipment was installed, or the anniversary that they joined your membership plan? Make it a handwritten card and include a $10 Starbucks card. When is the last time that you received a handwritten note or card from anyone? The smallest sign of recognition can mean the most.
The last phase ( which needs to be moved to a top priority) of your loyalty starts with you. If you are an owner or a manager, are you hiring the right people? Are you hiring fill a spot or are you hiring someone to enhance your team? If you are filling a spot then your concern is not the client, it is the bottom line. If you are hiring someone to enhance your team, then you are hiring to increase your offering and loyalty to your client.
The bottom line is that nobody wants another tab for their key ring; they want to know that they matter to you.