Top 7 Ways To Keep Customers Coming Back

1. Never forget that the customer is the most important aspect of your business.
   
   
2. Always address complaints and problems promptly and courteously. Yes, I know, sometimes we want to just grab a customer and #?!*, but don't do it! Instead smile and graciously accept the customer's complaint. Analyze what caused the complaint in the first place. Mistakes, misunderstandings, and problems are inevitable in any business. Do whatever it takes to solve the problem as quickly as possible and move on.
   
   
3. Learn from your mistakes and implement procedures to prevent recurrences. Invoicing customers for more than one item and inadvertently delivering only one was an embarrassing mistake that I repeated several times. I could not, for the life of me, remember to check the quantity column when bagging my customers' orders. The customer will forgive this kind of mistake perhaps once, but if repeated, they may assume you are dishonest. I solved my dilemma by assembling invoices before bagging orders. I review each one carefully and highlight any quantity greater than one. I use a yellow marker for this purpose ONLY...thus yellow marks immediately signal me that the customer had ordered more than one of that item.
   
   
4. If it is not possible to provide samples of your products, buy demos of new items to have on hand for customers' review.
   
   
5. Keep your focus on excellent customer service and remember that without the customer there are no PROFITS.
   
   
6. Make a point of writing thank-you notes, remembering birthdays, and keeping aware of any particular special needs that your customers may have.
   
   
7. It is easier to keep a customer than find new ones. Keep the ones you have happy by providing excellent service for repeat business.

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