How to build strong customer relationships

• 22 September 2021
• Business Rescue Business Growth
• Comments: 0

We’ve all heard the age-old saying ‘the customer is king’. Customers are everything to a business and prioritising them is a must for small business owners. Customers are central to the Business Model Canvas and feature twice in the nine point framework. In particular, developing strong customer relationships is crucial to the model and to the success of every business. Building strong customer relationships involves a two-pronged approach. First you must get to know your customers, only once you’re armed with detailed knowledge can you develop a strategy to acquire, nurture and retain customers.

Part 1 - Get to know your customers

Do the groundwork

It’s the same in business as in our personal lives – you can’t build sound relationships without getting to know people first. As a business owner, you need to do the groundwork before starting on any relationship building tactics.

‘Customers’ is the first step in the Business Model and understanding them is vital for your business. At this stage you detail everything you know about the customer base for your business. You need to consider your ideal customer and what problems your products or services solve for them.

Profile your customers

Develop customer personas - look at your customers’ lifestyle, gender, income, location, their dislikes, their characteristics and behaviour. Ask questions about your customers. Has your customer base changed over the past year? If so, can you shift your business to meet their needs? Update any information on your customers regularly as understanding them is vital to the Business Model framework and your business.

Profiling your customers pays dividends as it can give you essential information you need to generate business from both new and existing customers. The more you understand your customers, the easier it is to satisfy their needs and generate sales for your business through providing them with relevant products or services. This information helps you discover why customers buy from you which helps you target new customers.

Develop customer segments

Once you have your personas, you can group your customers into segments so that you can offer each group relevant offers. Understanding your customers helps you target your marketing effectively by providing the right message to the right people in the right place.

A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system can help you build up a detailed picture of your customers including their buying habits. This type of data is gold dust for small business owners. 

If you need any advice on how to profile your customers Maria at Be Rescued can help. To book an appointment click our home page https://berescued.co.uk/  .

Part 2 – Building customer relationships

Describe the type of relationship you want

The work you’ve done getting to know your customers gives you a solid foundation to build strong customer relationships.

‘Customer relationships’ takes the number five spot in the Business Model. In this step you need to detail the type of relationship you want to develop with each segment in your customer base.

You should also consider how you will acquire, nurture and retain customers, which could involve a different approach for each customer segment.

9 tips to help your business build strong customer relationships

Here are some suggestions from the Be Rescued team on how to acquire, nurture and retain customers for your business:

1. Listen to what your customers need and deliver products or services that meet this need. If you serve your existing customers well, you will boost customer retention and also attract new customers.
2. The best relationships have one thing in common – great communication. Speak to your customers regularly across your marketing channels, keep them in the loop about changes to your business and any new products and services. Ask your customers for feedback and act on what you discover. People like being listened to.
3. Show that you understand your customers by demonstrating how your products or services solve their problems, this will help you attract and retain customers.
4. Provide excellent customer service and aim to exceed expectations, this will help to build long-term loyalty.
5. Deal with any complaints swiftly. Being transparent and showing that you take your customers’ concerns seriously will build trust and encourage loyalty.
6. Produce customer centric content for customers. Make your marketing communications all about what you can do for your customers. Show how you can solve their problems. Provide helpful content on your website and other digital channels. Communicate your value proposition to your customers.
7. Reward your customers. Do you feel frustrated when a company you use offers great deals to new customers while ignoring you as an existing customer? If you offer your existing customers great deals you will develop loyalty over time. You could also look at developing a loyalty scheme.
8. Let your customers know how much you value them. Show your appreciation for their custom and demonstrate you don’t take them for granted.
9. Focus on customer experience. It’s said there are seven touchpoints before a customer makes a purchase – make each one count every time. This will help you attract and then retain customers.

Key takeaway

Building strong relationships is all about getting to know your customers well and providing an excellent customer experience. It’s not rocket science, if you focus on building a customer focused business you will attract and retain customers.

If you need any help creating personas or managing your customer base, Maria at Be Rescued can help. Contact Maria today!