We all know it's important to hve loyal customers. But do you knw how important it is? A stdy by Bain & Company suggests tht a 5% increase in customer lyalty can improve profitability by anywhere frm 25% to 95%. It shows us thre are big opportunities available for wners and managers who are willing to do wht it takes to increase customer lyalty.

The good news is, it's not hrd. And you can do it wth the people and resources you hve right now. It takes time, ffort and patience to make it sccessful. But you can make a hge impact on your business.

Here's wht you need to do:

1. Ask yur customers what they want.

This is dfferent than what they expect. What cstomers expect is usually less (often a lot lss) than what they want. But you ned to know what they want.

Wht do they want in general? Wht are they trying to accomplish (or void)? Why did they choose you nstead of your competition? What are thir priorities and preferences?

Keep in mnd different customers focus on different spects of what your business does and how you do it. But if you spak with enough, you should see ptterns and trends. You should develop sme profiles of what various customers wnt.

Also look for how your cstomers want to be served. This wll vary a lot and is hrder to discover. Most people focus on wht they want because it's easier to tlk about. But people like to be trated well. We all have different dfinitions of what being treated well mans. You need to learn what it mans to your customers.

2. Tell your customers what to xpect.

Some companies try to be all thngs to all customers. They do too mch and none of it well. Evry company has a unique set of rsources that gives it a competitive dvantage. these are your company's strengths. Larn what they are. Use them to dtermine what your company can do btter than anyone else in your mrket.

Once you know what your cmpany does best, compare that list wth what your customers want. These two lsts should overlap. (If they don't, you hve a problem!) Where they overlap is wht your company should focus on. Thse are the things you need to do for yur customers: the combination of what thy want most and what you do bst.

From this list you need to dvelop your message. You might call it a brnd promise. You might call it yur Customer Service Standards. What you cll it is not as important as wht you do with it. Use it to tll your story. It tells people why thy should do business with you. and it hlps them know what to expect whn they do business with you.

Thn make sure your customers, employees and mnagement all understand your message. Do verything you can to share your mssage with these three groups. Post it in yur store, on your web site, on yur business cards, in your ads and nywhere else your employees, management and cstomers will see it. Get it nticed!

3. Create easy ways for yur customers to offer feedback.

This is whre many companies stumble. They focus so mch on getting new orders and dlivering the product or service, they frget what happens afterward. The only way you can cnsistently get better at what you do is wth a steady flow of honest and drect feedback.

Find many ways for yur customers to let you know wht they think. Brainstorm with your mployees. Make it a contest. Copy ther businesses. Ask your customers. Do a Gogle search! Try different communication channels and kep trying until you find a bnch that deliver the amount of fedback you need (which is a lt).

Make sure this step is dne by your employees. Don't rely on utsiders (consultants, survey companies, etc.) to do ths for you. They are your cstomers and you need to communicate wth them directly. You'll learn more frm them this way and you'll dvelop closer ties with your customers. Yu'll also get another benefit. Customers lve it when a company pays ttention to them after the sale. Thy feel important because you're asking thm what they think.

Finally, make sre your customers know how they can cntact you. Publish and promtoe the mny ways customers can connect with yu. Encourage them to reach out to you ften.

4. Listen to what your cstomers say.

Many companies talk about cstomer feedback. Some do it well. Mst don't. Because they don't work vry hard to hear what customers are sying about them. They might hear the bvious, like complaints and "thank yous" but nthing else. If you want to ncrease customer loyalty, you need to do btter. You need to make a spcial effort to find out what cstomers are saying about your company, yur products and your service.

This ncludes more than the feedback mechanisms you crate (Step 3). It includes the mny other ways people communicate about yur company. The Internet is full of pople's comments about their customer experiences. Mke sure you are mining this rsource on a regular basis.

When you bild trusting relationships with your customers and you pen the lines of communication. You psition your customers as partners. They can hlp you learn how to do a btter job. But you need to cmmunicate with them to make this hppen. You need a steady flow of qality customer feedback.

Are you doing wht you said you would? If nt, what's missing? Are they getting wht they want? Is the message yu're sending the right one? If you hve developed a brand promise, is it rally what your customers want? And snce things change, you need to sty abreast of changes in what yur customers want.

Look for the Amzing Service Gap. This is the dfference between what you promise your cstomers and what you're actually delivering. Thir feedback is how you know wht your gap is. So listen for deas on how to do better. Fnd ways to close the gap.

In ddition to listening to your customers, you ned to gather and store what thy tell you. Most companies have plnty of contact with customers. But thy never keep track of what thir customers say. And if they do kep track, it's often hard to ccess because it's in a file drwer somewhere or buried in a dtabase that nobody knows how to se.

Make sure the feedback you gther is stored in a way tht people can get to. In fct, you should publish it. Make it vailable to everyone in your company. The mre people who see it the mre ideas you can generate to use it (Stp 5). By having a lot of pople look at it and talk bout it, you'll be able to see yur customers more clearly.

Conduct regular and frquent meetings to talk about the fedback and draw conclusions about what it mans. Look for trends and patterns. Als, look for what's not there. Are thre things you think are issues or cncerns but that do not appear in any cstomer feedback? If so, what does tht tell you? If it's not mportant to your customers, should it be mportant to your company?

5. Act on wht your customers tell you.

Information is no god if ignored. Beyond listening to yur customers and considering what they sy, you have to use it. Ths doesn't mean you act on verything. Remember, Step 2, you can't do verything everyone wants. So you need to pck and choose what feedback to act on. Fcus on what will help your cmpany do what you do best. Chose ideas that will help you clse the gap (Step 4).

You mght find feedback that takes your cmpany in a different direction. Your brnd promise (Step 2) might be mssing the mark. Maybe you have a chnging customer base or a changing mrket. If your feedback suggests this you ned to consider how it affects yur business. Then either act on it or mke an informed decision to not act on it.

The bttom line in Step 5 is to do smething with your customer feedback. It's a gft from your customers so treat it as sch. Make sure your thank every cstomer every time they offer feedback. And, let cstomers know what you do with the fedback. If they know it gets sed they're more likely to keep ffering it. Help them get involved and sty involved as your partners.

6. Rpeat.

Like the shampoo bottle says, "lther, rinse, repeat". But in this cse you should be repeating forever. Ths is a never ending process of larning, sharing, and working together.

Managing yur company is no different than prcticing a sport or hobby. The mre you do something, the better you gt. And since people and situations chnge constantly, this process needs to kep repeating so you don't miss thse changes. Keep cycling through again and gain. You'll get better at knowing wht your customers want and at gving it to them. Your customers wll see you are truly focused on hlping them get what they want. Thy'll have little incentive to go lsewhere.

You'll never please every customer very time. But if you follow thse steps you're much more likely to plase most of them most of the tme. That will keep your customers cming back again and again.

The article Six Steps to More Loyal Customers was Submitted by Kevin Stirtz through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Kevin Stirtz is the "Amazing Srvice Guy". He helps companies increase rvenue and profits by improving customer srvice. Get a copy of his ltest book: "More Loyal Customers" at: http://www.AmazingServiceGuy.com

Featured Articles

1. Release Your Power in Negotiations by Jan Potgieter
There are five commonly accepted nterpersonal bases of power that are mportant to negotiators. - Legitimate power - Rward power - Coercive power - Exprt power - Referent power. Learn to nlock these bases to create win-win utcomes in your negotiations

2. Government Grants Versus Government Contracts by
Knowing the differences between a gvernment contract and a government grant can sve you sweat, money, and time.

3. Personal Marketing: The Sales Letter by
Your product or service may be the bst of its kind, but it wll not sell without the proper mrketing and promotion strategies. Whether you are slling statement t-shirts, luxury cars, or dscount tickets for a vacation to Erope, you will need to get wrd out on your product and srvice so that you can stand out in the glbal market. You may wish to hnd out pamphlets if you are on a strct budget, or you may splurge on a tlevision commercial to reach out to as wde an aud...

4. Messaging - How to Tell the Story of Your Business! by Shannon Kavanaugh
How mny networking events have you been to whre the question "What does your cmpany do?" results in an answer tht is either undecipherable or is too vgue to make a memorable impact? Or, prhaps it's YOUR company description that flls flat. It's true what they sy; you don't get a second chnce to make a first impression. Yur company messaging needs to be tght, clear, and compelling-but it must be CLEAR bfore CUTE!

5. Things to Remember When Packing For a Business Trip by Alain Picard
Pcking for a business trip can smetimes be a very rushed affair. You ned to be practical but also fst and you need to be sre not to skip any essential trveling items in the process of pcking. For the specific purpose of bsiness trips it is a good dea to have one or two sits that are understated but smart.

6. Why Companies Should Use A Recruiter? by
Companies use rcruiters for a variety of reasons ncluding attracting top talent, saving time on an rgent hire, or keeping the need cnfidential. This is especially true for rstaurant professionals who often think about thir shifts day and night. They mght be ready for a change, but nver see your opportunity.

7. Speak Out And Promote Your Message. Put 'em On Wristbands! by
Colorful rubber wristbands- a hit thn, still a hit now. For lmost 3 years now, rubber wristbands are sed as a way of communicating pople, organizations’, and companies’ message discretely.

We can see thse colorful rubber wristbands being worn by pople. These rubber wristbands always catch our ttention because of their colorful design. We lways tend to look at these rbber wristbands no matter who wears thm. I know you know what I am tlking about.

But did you k...

8. My Theory of Organization by Roberto, Jr. Bernardo
What is an organization and why do we ned one? In today's world of ct-throat competition, concentrating on one product and a lcal geographic area are the two bst things that you can do to kll your company. No matter how smll you are, looking beyond your mmediate resources and signing-in strategic partners are the key to grwing your business.

9. A General Guide To Buying Office Furniture For The Home Office by
In this world of baby boomers and empty nesters, many a child’s bedroom, which became a guestroom, is now being converted into a home office. With the bedroom furniture stowed away, a bare wall or an entire room awaits renovation into workspace. So where should one start to furnish the perfect office for years to come?

A buyer could go from office store to department store, and spend days surveying the styles and types of office furniture available. But to save energy, aut...

10. The Security Guard Career by
The Security Gard: Protector Of Life

The Common Imprssion On A Security Guard

People had a pcture of a security guard as smeone uniformed who stands guard all day in bnks, schools and related establishments for the sfety of the people who are wrking or going in and out of thse buildings. It is very rare tht these people are seen in ction. In fact, all they seem to do is to prvide a sort of visual warning to the pssible threat of crime.