A Guide to Retaining and Maintaining Consumer Relationships

The number one way to make your business an enormous success is retaining and maintaining your consumer relationships. Without any customers, how do you expect to survive? You must have set goals and procedures to build a trusting relationship with your customers, to keep them and to follow up on them.

Get to know your customers on a first name basis. This will give them the feeling that shopping at your store is more personable.

Have a sale on specific items once a week. Even if a customer may not want a sale item for that week, they will be interested in what you have for sale the next week. If an individual purchased at item a week before the sale, give him store credit of the difference of what he paid for the item and the sales price.

Always be there for the customers. In addition to asking what he is looking for, you can also find out what he likes and does not like about the store. Do not wait until the customer looks as if he needs help. Always approach him as soon as you see him. When you take the initiative, you are improving his shopping experience.

Use customer satisfaction surveys and questionnaires to find out ways to improve the store and customer service. When you allow the customer to give opinions and suggestions, he will realize that you are treating him as an equal and not just as another shopper.

Always thank the customer when you see him in the store. A simple acknowledgement will give him the feeling that he is wanted and appreciated.

While some stores mail out a newsletter that is full of advertisements, try this instead. For the customers on your mailing list, send a newsletter that is filled with information. For example, if you your store sells make up, have the newsletter contain tips about applying makeup.