Satisfied Customers and Loyalty

We always want more, it seems.  When you started your business, customers of any kind seemed good, didn’t they?  Quickly, you learned they needed to be profitable customers.  Then you went for satisfied customers.  Before long your Internet surfing and business reading told you the real money was in loyal customers because one customer that returns often and buys every time is so much more pleasant and profitable than lots of tire kickers. 

Our friends at SearchCRM.com have provided, again, something worth reading and applying to your own business, no matter what the size.  The article is Differentiate a Satisfied Customer from a Loyal One and Eric Krell from Peppers & Rogers Group  puts this thought on the table for your immediate consideration today: A satisfied customer is not necessarily a loyal one.

The case studies are great and if you just translate terms like sales and serve rep into those in your own business who talk with customers the most or get their calls, e-mails and questions, then you can get past this “it only applies to large business” syndrome that we sometimes use as an excuse to not complete an article.

Even though a smaller business always has the home court advantage in the CRM game, because they usually remain close to customers and remember what individuals and their friends like in the way of services and products from you, the lessons learned and facts gained by companies like Diebold, provider of ATMs and security systems, are worth noticing.   How many ATM’s do you think there are?  Okay, how many did you visit or use just last year?  How fast do you think the security system business is growing?  Go to trade shows like ISC West and the ASIS Conference and you’ll wonder who doesn’t have a security system.  Millions and millions of customers and tons of great data—that’s the point. 

You’ve heard of the loyalty test, right?  Think in terms of the loyalty survey and ask yourself as you read Krell’s article, what can you do to survey your customers?  What questions should you ask that will tell help you differentiate a satisfied customer from a loyal one?  If you want a scarey answer, ask yourself what it will cost your business if you do not ask and you don’t find out.