November 2010, Deb Pilgrim, Business Mentor

Customer service is an element of doing business that’s reactive, and customer satisfaction is an element that’s proactive.

If you stop to think about it, you’ll realise that it’s actually easier to be proactive with your clients than it is to be reactive. It’s also less expensive to keep your current clients than it is to constantly be in search of new ones.

These four quick tips will help keep your customers satisfied

1. Sell the benefits they’re looking for

Make sure you are clear about the tangible results and benefits your products or services provide. This clarity will make it easier for clients to know what they’re buying right from the start.

2. Give them the experience they crave

If the experience of working with you is a positive one, your customers will stick around after they’ve received the initial results.

Clients who stay with you for the great experience they have tend to become advocates who talk about you and your business to everyone.

Ask yourself: "How can I enhance my clients’ experience of working with me?”

3. Confirm their decision to buy was a good one

One way to enhance their experience is to remember your customers after they’ve made their purchase. In most cases, if a buyer is going to question their initial decision, they’ll do so within 24 hours – especially if the financial investment is a large one.

Head this off at the pass by checking in with buyers within 24 hours of their initial purchase and answering any questions they may have. You could even set up an auto-responder to address any FAQs and prompt them to get in touch if their concerns aren’t covered off.

You can further re-affirm their decision to buy from you by including strategically placed testimonials from other clients in the FAQ document. Reading about others’ positive experiences will bolster your new customers’ confidence in their own investment.

4. Treat each client as an individual

Taking the time to identify who your best clients are and really getting to know them can increase their lifetime value to your business.

If you’re not sure what a client will need next, there’s no need to guess. It’s perfectly okay to ask them. You’ll probably even find that they appreciate you taking the extra time to find out about their needs.

Attracting new clients takes time, energy and even cash, so why not do whatever you can to keep them satisfied.

What do you do to keep the satisfaction sizzling in your client relationships?

Deb Pilgrim works specifically with women entrepreneurs who want to take their business from ordinary to extraordinary. She does this by taking them through a step-by-step process that teaches them how to consistently grow their business.