Quick question for you: Do you know what it actually costs you (in dollars) to retain a customer?

If you don’t, you aren’t alone. Most people don’t. You might know what it costs you to get a new customer –  the cost of marketing, building programs or services, networking group fees, etc. – but retaining a customer you already have is actually the same cost for everyone – $0.

See, if you are constantly seeking out new customers, that takes a lot of money, time, and energy. Keeping an existing customer happy and coming back for more is (to a point) free. Customer acquisition is always more expensive than customer retention. (click to tweet!)

So how do you keep them coming back again and again? How do you turn on the referral machine so your customers become your free marketing campaign? It’s all about taking care of them and creating an incredible customer experience. Here’s how:

1. Easy Intake Process – Check out your website…is it easy to find out how to contact you? If your potential customers have to dig around to figure out how to get in touch, you’re making it difficult from the word go. Have a clearly laid out contact page and/or your email (or the email for your VA) listed right on your About Page (or both!). People are lazy – make it easy for them to find you.
2. Set Expectations – Your customers are busy people, and no one wants to wonder what is happening next. When you start the process with a paying client, give them a tour of what’s to come. This is a key component of what we are building over at Systems Finishing School. Share a Process Map, invite them to an Asana project, shoot them a note with what the next three steps are. Whatever you do, make sure they know what’s coming down the road and when they can expect each piece to show up. A compass is good but you need to be able to see the map to truly navigate your way through the woods.
3. Over-Communicate – When you think people “just know”, they don’t. Spell it out, be crystal clear in your communication in every step of the process (see above). Hire a copywriter if you can’t figure out how to wrap some words around what you are up to.
4. Wrap It Up – Delivering the goods is why they hired you in the first place. Make sure it’s all put together in a way that makes sense for your client. Create a personalized Dropbox full of the deliverables, use a Google Doc, or share it to their Evernote account. Make it easy for your clients to find what you send them. Complete the process with each customer with a customized survey requesting feedback and testimonials. As leading questions that get them thinking about the exact process that you used together. Hone in on their response and thank them for the extra time they took to create that for you.
5. Stay In Touch – Know your customer’s needs and anticipate them. Did you create a website for them and know they are getting ready to launch a new program? Check in and see if you can support them in building the sales page. Keep your past clients updated on new offerings you are putting out (you never know if they might want to take part!) Give them the inside scoop and make sure they know they have first dibs on your time. Treat them like gold because, well, they’re worth it.

When you take care of the customers you have and create an amazing experience for them, they come back for more and refer you to everyone they know. What do you do to create an incredible customer experience? Share in the comments below so we can all learn from each other!

xo