‘Don’t Lose Customers’ Is the Best Marketing Plan Ever

For the first couple of years I was in business, the company grew a lot by picking up what my competitors “spilled.” Our industry has been notorious for not recognizing the lifetime value of the customer. At least, that was true in the growth years of the 1980s and ’90s. It may not be the case as much today, but it’s still the situation with too many companies.

We have a tendency to forget that, first and foremost, ours is a relationship business. Staying close to the customer and recognizing their needs before they do is a good rule to follow.

Here are a few additional recommendations to consider for your customer-retention plan:

• Assign a primary contact person for each customer to help foster lasting relationships. The company owner should assume this role for the top accounts.
• Contact all customers regularly, not only when they are buying.
• Become the go-to resource for solutions to clients’ business problems.
• Be quick to respond to all requests.
• Go the extra mile when it’s not expected.
• Make your direct customers look good to their bosses.
• Know the bosses, but don’t go around your primary customer contacts.
• Strive for operational excellence, and offer the safety net of a strong guarantee for quality and on-time performance.
• Always make it right. Aim to exceed expectations when a customer is let down. Given the nature of our business, it will happen sooner or later.

Avoid wasting good money on a complex marketing plan until you have a strong customer-retention plan in place. I recall one study that said the average life of a printing customer is four to five years. That’s unacceptable and means annually adding 25 percent new customers, or you will soon be out of business. If you are good enough at selling, you might be able to bring in more new business than you lose, but that’s expensive and not a sound management strategy.