Think More Like an Owner, and Less Like a Fan

July 24, 2020

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On the surface, many of the better-known occupations that fall within the “Professional Services” category should have little difficulty with customer retention. Think about that for a moment: Barring something highly unusual or beyond their expertise, don’t most people who have a trusted, reliable & personable (this matters to some) Primary Care Doctor or Dentist tend to keep using that Doctor or Dentist for life, be that life theirs or yours? If you find a great Veterinarian who treats your precious “4-legged family members” like they were part of their family, won’t you likely continue using their services for your pets’ lives? If your Financial Planner is skilled in “managing your wealth,” and consistently growing your portfolio; and your Accountant is adept at minimizing the tax ramifications of that ever-expanding personal wealth; would you try to “fix what isn’t broken?”

Top 3 Customer Retention & Engagement Mistakes For Professional Services

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The odds are in favor of your answers being similar to those given by most logic & reason-capable human beings found worldwide. Our corner of the planet, and those living within it, are not too different in that aspect. If anything, residents of the Philadelphia & Central Jersey regions take great pride in being loyal. The lengths they are willing to go to prove their loyalty is virtually unprecedented. All one needs to do for verification is to take a peek at the fans of any of Philadelphia’s pro sports teams. The teams themselves may not be champions too often – but the fans of those teams are champions for supporting them!

This discussion regarding Philadelphia sports fans, notably why they are ranked among the most loyal sports fans anywhere in the world, directly ties into today’s Customer Retention & Engagement topic. These organizations’ ability to skillfully retain their customers (fans) has much to do with the way team owners & executive management engage with them regularly. They do this via a non-stop barrage of digital marketing and direct messaging campaigns, in multiple forms and large quantities, to engage their fan base every day, and more than once per day. These engagement formats include social media posts, website & app updates, email & text notifications, and custom-produced, professionally-made video content, to name just a few. They realize that the best way to retain their fans is by engaging with them. If we now replace the term “fan” with “client” or “customer” for our Professional Services clients, it is clear that you see how this customer & retention thru engagement subject directly ties back to you and your business, yes? As such, we must ask why so many Professional Services businesses fail to engage their customer base and wonder why they are struggling to keep their clients?

It’s all about your Customer Retention & Engagement practices, and we see numerous mistakes made by the Professional Services Industry quite frequently, some repeated repeatedly. We can’t discuss all of them on this page, but we can offer you what we believe to be the Top 3 Customer Retention & Engagement Mistakes made by the Professional Services Industry.

Why Must You Make This So Hard? As the customer, do you enjoy using one of those “automated telephone operator systems” employed by seemingly every business with a phone line? Probably not, yet this very type of experience is what many of your customers have when trying to reach you or someone in your organization. Sometimes, making the call is hard enough – don’t make the rest of their interactions with your business any more challenging than necessary.

Are They Nothing More Than Revenue Streams? We know that for you, this is a business; but for many of your customers, their relationship with you & your business is also personal. As such, make sure to include the “personal touches” they need. Please take a minute during each interaction to get to know them a little better, which establishes an emotional connection. Ensure everyone within your office that might communicate with these clients treats them with the same warmth, sympathy, and personality that they would want if the roles were reversed.

If They’re Happy, Do You Know It? Don’t clap your hands just yet. The reason(s) behind your interaction with a client is irrelevant. Their satisfaction at the end of your time together is relevant, and the only way to know is to ask. This “how did I/we do” question will help you quickly identify and, if necessary, correct any points of dissatisfaction they might be experiencing before they think about going elsewhere next time. If they are satisfied with this experience, you have the equivalent of an “easy lay-up:” Ask them to share their positive experience by posting a Google or Yelp! review (or wherever would best assist with the reputation management for your business), which will help you attract new clients and keep the ones you have.

It’s so much easier and so much less expensive to keep your existing clients than it is to find new ones; and there’s no better way to retain your clients by engaging them. Not sure if your Professional Services business’s digital marketing is engaging and retaining your customers, or how to optimize this for your business? Contact 1SEO’s experts for a free digital marketing assessment today!