Every company today is about service. We are no longer a product oriented economy but rather a service economy. Most people believe that means we don’t manufacture goods but just provide services. That interpretation is a cop out! The real meaning is that, regardless of what you provide customers, service has become an important part and in many instances, the most important part.Whether you are a retailer selling dresses or a manufacturer selling pumps, customer retention is critical to success. The truth is that most businesses do not sell a unique product. A woman can buy the same dress from many places. Your success in gaining and keeping customers depends on an intimate understanding of the reasons why customers buy from you. Once you understand that, you then implement definite procedures to be sure customers are treated to those very reasons every time. On paper, it sounds simple. In reality, we often anguish over our ineffectiveness at accomplishing that goal. One problem is that different customers buy for different reasons.

Most companies have never asked customers why they come back for repeat business. More importantly, you may want to query customers who did not come back as to their reasons! Their issues will often be very unexpected. They can include everything from the location, the parking, the selection offered, prices, negative employee interaction, policies, store hours or poor follow-up. You are likely to hear reasons that are a complete surprise to you. The problems may not have been obvious or observed by you and you may even have witnessed the opposite. That means there could be an inconsistency in the target market you are serving or your understanding of their motivations.

Training your staff is often times a large part of the solution to implementing the changes effectively. Regardless of what you discover, finding out and developing a strategy to improve is important to your success.