4 Ways to Nurture Your Way to a Loyal Client Base

Loyal clients and customers are the lifeblood of any successful business, in any industry. In marketing, there’s so much talk about generating new leads and getting people into the funnel, but millions of dollars are wasted here. If you want to improve your small business, you have to try a completely different strategy. A strategy that’s not mentioned often enough…

Optimize what you already have. You are going to earn more money and create a huge pipeline of repeat and referral business by deepening your relationships with past and current clients. 

Why spend time reaching out to people you have already converted?

It turns one deal and one transaction into a revolving, evergreen relationship. If you’re a business owner and you aren’t investing in client nurture, you are leaving money on the table and literally pushing your clients in the arms of your competitors.

What strategies can you put in place to really give value to your clients and make them want to keep working with you? What are successful entrepreneurs doing differently when it comes to having solid relationships with their clients and customers?

Let’s get into it!

Give a Good Experience

This might seem really obvious but the #1 way to maintain a loyal customer base starts in the experience you give people from the very first interaction. Go above and beyond selling a product, make them feel valued right at the beginning and make that part of everything you do from day 1.

If you give people an unmatched and unique experience of working with you or buying from you, you will always be their first choice and they are likely to rave about you all over social media and refer you to their circle of friends and family.

Don’t underestimate the power of a joyful experience that solves problems and enhances lives. You will always be a cut above competitors and stand out effortlessly. Remember a good client relationship begins before they even make the first payment.

Get Good at Giving Gifts

If you want to nurture really strong relationships with clients, stop sending them gifts and items they end up not using, or worse – end up in the trash. It’s very common for businesses to spend thousands on promotional clothing that wouldn’t even appeal to customers.

You have to go further and be a lot more thoughtful in your gift selection. Instead of guessing what people want, invest in research and discovery, and create something that will make someone feel truly valued.

Instead of buying generic, ill-fitting t-shirts, why not invest in custom promotional items that ooze personality and reflect the fact that you care and pay attention.

A couple of ideas from high-level CEOs and business owners:

• If you’re a real estate agent, why not create t-shirts and sweaters for your client’s family with the name of the family members embroidered on it?
• If your clients like to read, send them a really good book you know they would enjoy and put a custom-made bookmark in it.

The goal is to be valuable to them, and to give them something they will wear, use everyday or keep close. That way, your client gifts won’t suffer the fate of ending up forgotten.

Pick Up The Phone

Stop calling your clients to ask for business, call them because you actually care about them.

In the early days of the pandemic, the best business owners called their clients just to check on how they were doing and ask if they needed anything. No prospecting, no sales, just human relationships.

You’d be surprised at how many of your clients would appreciate you reaching out and showing that you care. It proves that client relationship nurturing doesn’t need to be fancy, extravagant or expensive. Making an impact is sometimes as simple as doing the most basic things.

Virtual Events

People think client appreciation events died when the pandemic hit, but they are thriving – virtually. Virtual events may have different logistics but it is possible to create a good experience for your sphere of influence.

How do you do this?

First come up with a really fun concept that can work well on Zoom. It could be a sushi-making class, or a game of trivia. You just need something that can engage with people and keep them interested.

Once you have chosen the concept, use delivery services to send your clients the things they need, and you can even make use of a food delivery service to send in the meal that people can share together virtually.

The key to success with this is not making the event too long or too complicated. You can still create really good experiences that make an impact in people’s lives and make you the top choice in their book.