Customer Appreciation - A Lost Art?

"65% of a company’s business comes from existing customers, and it costs five times as much to attract a new customer than to keep an existing one satisfied." - Gartner

If we begin with that premise, which has been stated by any number of researchers, it makes sense (dollars and cents) to retain customers.

What does it take to retain customers?
I would propose 2 simple steps to retain the majority of customers.
1) Provide excellent service. I'm switching web hosts because the service in my current provider has deteriorated and I've found a new company that gives excellent service and they are convenient.
2) Show them you care; that you appreciate them, not just as customers, but as individual people.

Now the first step is up to you and how you run your business.
1) Do you have a simple telephone tree that gets a customer to a real person easily?
2) Are your people trained to be courteous and helpful?
3) Do you have set customer service hours that are posted and/or stated on your voice mail?


The second step can be as easy as making a phone call to let your customer know you appreciate them.

The problems with a phone call are:
1) The time you call may not be convenient for your customer.
2) The customer my not like talking on the phone. My wife hates the telephone!
3) It can be extremely time consuming as your business grows.

So what is another option for showing your customers how much you appreciate them?

How about sending a friendly card?

Advantages of sending cards:
1) The card can be opened and read at the customers convenience.
2) A card is a physical object the customer can touch and keep as a constant reminder of your care.
3) Cards can be sent for a variety of occasions depending on your business. ie: customers' birthdays, family birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, or just to say "Thank You".
4) Handled properly by your company, sending cards can be a very efficient way of showing appreciation.

Go to http://www.homerscards.com now so we can demonstrate how easy, convenient, and economical it is to send cards to your customers or potential customers, no matter how large that customer base is, or how large you want it to be.

The customer you don't show appreciation to today, could be your competitor's customer tomorrow.