The lifeline of any salesperson is their ability to establish a repeat customer base. Obviously the best way to create a solid and loyal customer base is to provide the highest quality of customer service and to build dependable standards that clients know are the major part of your business interactions. Faithful customers must believe that, indeed, they are the reason for your business success.

Mentally designing a database of customer names and factoids about each one clearly demonstrates the degree importance that they occupy in your mind. The connections that customers feel to "their" salesperson comprise a large portion of their ability to trust and "belong" with you. (Think of Norm walking into Cheers--where everyone knows your name!) That sense of comfort causes a natural flow of the sales transactions. The foundation for ease is the beginning. With every repeat transaction, adding detail to your mental database allows you to "keep up with" their preferences and style. Knowledge of a customers' style is key to their perception of value--of your merchandise, your store and of you as a caring person who is interested in serving them to the best of your ability, and granting those little extra perks that are reserved for friends, adds depth to the relationship, thus cementing the loyal connections.

Letting your customer know that you intend to be impeccable in your word and action comes through ongoing communication. More forms and incidents of communication further establish the bond you have with your customers--be it through email, phone calls or mailed letters and advertisements (permission is always necessary to these communications). As customers trust your integrity with their information, they tend to grow in their appreciation in hearing from you!

The fact that a customer returns to your store constitutes a gift from them to you. Cherish it! Reciprocate! Whether it's a business novelty or a small discount or a "membership perk" of some sort, receiving acknowledgement from you about their importance to you and your business racks up increased loyalty!

With each successful transaction, customer involvement in your success flows more freely. Asking for feedback from them about their experiences allows them to further contribute to your success, both as a sales person and as a business! Thanking them for taking a moment to reflect on their interaction with you and then valuing that information enough to incorporate it into the way you do business further solidifies your positive relations.

The satisfaction that comes from being treated well and being provided with the quality of product that they desire at an affordable price IS the environment for forming a Repeat Customer Base!

FINAO - Brad Huisken