5 Ways to Thank Your Customers

Forget shiny objects, including prospects, for a moment. Forget social media, networks and online opportunities. You have plenty of material to work with as it is -- your customers are already doing business with you. How about showing them some appreciation? Here are 5 things you can do to show them how grateful you are for their business:

1. Send them a thank you card after a major purchase. Better if hand written. Along those same lines, send them a birthday card with a coupon. Raise your hand if you get more than a handful of each. Exactly, you will stand out.

2. Make your rewards program simple. Give people what they want by letting them choose among options. Hilton Honors does that by letting you choose among a combination of either HH basis points per dollar spent or a combination of basis points and miles.

3. Use your data base for them, not against them. Select a loyal customer at random and surprise them with a free gift or a discount. Refrain from congratulating your customers for being loyal with yet another sales pitch. Just send the gift.

4. Put a person with a nice smile and a good attitude in your customer facing roles -- returns, service, support. Pay them well and you get to keep them, and your customers.

5. Tell your customers how you’ve implemented their suggestions. What better way to communicate with a customer than that where you show them you were listening. There is no sweeter gift.

In the end there is no better way to say how important your customers are to you, than just telling them. Do that regularly, and walk the talk.

[edited version of a Fast Company post. Image of hills near Modena, Italy.]

Comments

[Aldhis]

I think the key in this tips is start do something instead of just think about it. :)
Happy thanksgiving, Valeria!

[Linda Sherman]

Happy Thanksgiving Valeria! I am adding your 5 Ways to Thank Customers to the select Thanksgiving posts I picked up for http://itsdifferent4girls.com/blog/2008/11/27/gratitude-at-thanksgiving-my-top-10/
You are astute as always.

[Connie Bensen]

Very nice list Valeria! I'm going to send it company-wide to inspire them. :)

[Valeria Maltoni]

@Aldhis - you got that exactly right. Happy Thanksgiving to you and our family.

@Linda - thank you, as always, for your kindness and inspiration.

@Connie - feel free to tell all they can add to the list. This place is so much better when the conversation is going.

[Maria Reyes-McDavis]

Great stuff, getting creative in affirmative communication with your customers is a great way to solidify the relationships you already have :-)

[martha]

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you...

[Hildy Gottlieb]

Valeria:
I love these! We renamed our "customer service" role several years ago - it is officially the Office of Customer Joy. Staff knows what side of any decision to err on, and customers are - yes - joyful!
@HildyGottlieb