Customer loyalty should be a goal of anyone who sells, serves or leads. It doesn’t matter if your customer is a paying customer, a peer, direct report or an internal customer. The benefits of earning their loyalty are many.
A loyal customer:
- Will give you the benefit of the doubt when things go wrong.
- Works WITH you and not against you.
- Helps you help them – its not just one sided.
- Can ease your way into new relationships.
- Gives you more business!
And the workday is just more enjoyable when you are working with those that appreciate you.
I’m in the midst of a seminar with IT professionals. Yesterday each person identified someone they liked to do business with – and were loyal to. They reported on the characteristic that the person has that makes them want to work with them. The list was long and all but one characteristic was about HOW the other person worked with them than WHAT the person actually did.
Is that a tongue twister? Simply, your knowledge, technical expertise and skill do matter. But HOW you work with your customers – communication and focus on what’s important to them is what makes the difference.
What about you? Who are you loyal to and why? Leave a comment and give them the appreciation they deserve!
