The Top 5 Things That Drive Customer Loyalty

Updated: September 30, 2010

Customer's emotions have real financial implications for business. Emotion will drive your customer to dump their current brand and come looking for yours. A lot of new business comes to you because a customer was dissatisfied with how they were being treated by your competition. Customers want to be loyal and will become fiercely so, when you meet their emotional needs.

Reward Your Current Customers

When you shop at Kohl's, Michaels or Bath & Body Works, you are given a "Repeat Receipt". A "Repeat Receipt" offers a great discount if you return to the store within a short amount of time. They reward the customers who are already in their stores; the customers who are already buying from them and who already trust them for business. One of Starbucks' most effective campaigns is their "treat receipt" special that gets you to return THE VERY SAME DAY for a second purchase. This one campaign dramatically increases sales, and has subsequently seen multiple replays in their retail stores nationwide.

Fun And Games

Newspapers, magazines and online media know that when you involve user-participation, people will always come back for more. Playing games and solving puzzles is a sought-out leisure activity. Corporate websites that draw customers in with interaction and fun activities are the most talked about and blogged about sites of all. Millions of people visit websites every day, and you can connect with your customers by making better use of your corporate website.

Stop Policing Your Customers

Incorporate policies that encourage your customers. Encouraged customers will share the brands they love with others. Eliminate policies that hurt your customers. Do more of things that keep your customers happy. Do fewer things that irritate them. This is not rocket-science… it's people-science!

Take Care Of Every Single Customer

Each department should be in sync with a unified goal: Take care of every single customer. Period. Whether they bought online, in your store or from another department, take care of the customer. In Don Gallegos' book, he talks about an angry customer returning a gallon of milk to their grocery store. His team was trained to give a full refund with no questions asked. If the customer was dissatisfied, this store took care of it. Simple. Even though the gallon of milk had the label from a competing store, his store still took care of the customer, and earned a lifetime of loyalty.

Be Nice To Angry Customers

At some point, you will discover that you cannot please every one of your customers all of the time. They might get angry… but they are still your customers. The more prepared you are for it, the better the outcome will be for both you and your customer. An angry customer provides an opportunity to really show what your brand is made of.