Remember back in the day when Yellow Pages were the only way for customers to find your store, and it depended on how big your listing was! What’s more, the bigger the ad, the more it would cost you. 

So how are customers looking for businesses like yours now?

Technology has advance at such a rapid rate that flicking through a Yellow Page’s is all but a thing of the past. In a fraction of the time your customers are now able to use Google to find you, as well as all your competitors in an online search. And what’s more, they can read past customer reviews to influence who they choose to purchase from. 

Creating loyal customers is no longer about just being found. It’s about providing them with service they can’t help but share with friends and family. We’re all aware that it’s 7 times harder to find a new customer than to keep an existing one.

You’re probably thinking, “That’s all well and true, but how do I make a regular customer a loyal customer”?

We've put together a list of key points on how to turn an average customer into a loyal customer - or as we like to call them, ‘a profitable customer’!

Build a relationship with your customers by showing them you truly appreciate their patronage. Take them from being just another number to an individual customer

 Get to know their name, their likes and their dislikes - “speak
     with them not to them”

 Everyone loves a gift on their birthday, so send them
     something
 Set up loyalty program to give them discounts, and they’ll
    return to you time and time again

Greet your customers the moment they step foot through
     you door! It’s so simple, yet so many businesses
     consistently fail to do it
 Listen to your customers when they order. No one likes 
     repeating an order more than once let along receiving and
     incorrect order
 Do what you say you’re going to do. If you say it’s going to
     be ready in 15 minutes, get in to them in 14 minutes. If you 
     can’t, then tell them. 

Respond to negative reviews immediately - ‘A bad experience reaches three times as many ears as a good one does’

 No matter what, always respond to a negative review as soon
     as you see it. If you leave it, it will fester into something it
     never should have been
 When responding to online reviews, remember to stay
     objective and keep a positive tone
 Apologise for their negative experience and ask them to
     contact management for compensatory action
 Every customer has a different view on what seems fair, so
     don’t list what you intend to compensate for others to see.

Reward loyal customers to keep them loyal - offering freebies, discounts or creating rewards programs will show your customers that you value them.

 Provide your customers with an incentive when they sign up.
     A simple discount or voucher to go towards their next
     purchase will mean a lot.
 Be clear and concise and outline each reward threshold -
     Don’t surprise your customers or try to build mystery around
     their rewards program.
 Change up your rewards - Repeated gifts eventually lose the
     ‘WOW’ factor and customers end up taking the reward and
     your restaurants goodwill for granted.

'When you look after your customers, they will in turn allow your business to thrive'