Show notes
Creating customer loyalty? "Oh yes. I'm all about building relationships." Until I sell you something and then I'm off doing the next thing, and I forget about you completely, until and unless you call again.
Most people don't do that on purpose. They don't set out to ignore you. When somebody buys from you, you want to take care of that person. But in a lot of cases, you fulfill an order. It's like, "whew, okay, that's good. Now I'm onto the next thing." And unless you have systems in place that are designed to keep you in touch, the likelihood that somebody's going to fall through the cracks is very great.
David: Hi, and welcome to the podcast. Today, co-host Jay McFarland and I will be discussing how you get from obscurity to loyalty in the mind of a new prospect. Welcome back, Jay. Great to have you here.
Jay: Thank you, David. And once again, I'm super excited about this.
How Do You Move from Obscurity to Customer Loyalty?
Jay: I feel like customer loyalty is the holy grail of having a business. But I'm not sure if people know how to get their customers to that point. So I'm very excited. Where do you even start with that? From obscurity to loyalty. How do you begin this process?
David: Yeah, it's a fun topic because I think again, most people don't think of it like this. It sort of ties back to what we were talking about last week. But the idea of getting from total obscurity to blind customer loyalty for most people just seems impossible. You know, "how do you do that?"
But if you think about it, one of the things that I normally do, if I'm explaining this to an audience, I'll draw a target on a flip chart. At the center of the target, the bullseye is blind customer loyalty. This is just loyal. I would never consider doing business with anyone else, but you.
And then, a couple of rings out -- outside the circles -- you have obscurity, total obscurity. I have no idea who you are. I have no idea that you're taking in air on the planet. I have no idea why I should do business with you, right?
Intelligent Repetition of Contact
And so you're not going to get from total obscurity to blind customer loyalty in one step. It's going to require intelligent repetition of contact, which is something we talked about last time as well. So when you think about it, there are stages you have to go through to get there.
The first step is to move from obscurity, "I don't know who you are," to recognition, "Oh, I recognize you." I recognize that you're here. I don't love you. I don't hate you. I don't know you well enough to do either of those things. But I recognize that you're alive. So recognition is that first step.
Jay: Okay.
Moving from Obscurity to Recognition
David: And when we think in terms of communication, the type of communication that you will engage in to let somebody know you're alive is very different than the type of communication that you'll engage in to get them to be more loyal to you and to get them to place that first-time order. So that initial step -- moving from obscurity to recognition -- that's step one.
Then from recognition, the next thing we have to get it to is some level of comfort. They have to be comfortable enough with you to have additional conversations, to place that first-time order with you. And then once they're comfortable with you, that first order happens.
From there, if you perform properly, if they place that order, and if you deliver the way you're supposed to and everything works out well, then they might say, "okay, I'll give you another chance and we'll do it again."
Getting from Recognition to Comfort
At that point, they're in that comfort ring. They're in that comfort level. You can operate in the comfort level for quite some time. And if you continue to perform in the comfort level, then eventually you start to move into that bullseye area. You start to move into that area of loyalty where people essentially say "Okay. I'm going to continue to come back to you... unless you mess up."
Jay: Mm-hmm
David: So now at that point, I'm pretty loyal. I'm kind of loyal. But then if you continue to deliver and you continue to maintain that relationship, then you move closer and closer to the center. And then eventually up right there in the middle where they just wouldn't consider doing business with anyone else.
Customer Loyalty is the Bullseye
As a visual, I think that's a great way to go. So they can recognize sort of where they are and where they need to move.
Jay: Yeah. I think you described it perfectly. I also think that it's maybe easier if, when they're in the comfort zone, to bounce them out in the wrong direction than to move them into the center.
David: Yeah. Particularly when you don't realize that this is even happening, right? Because most people don't think of this, Jay. For most people, "I'm interacting with somebody and we're having some sort of sales experience." However it is that you and I got together, I'm working on trying to get this order taken care of for you.
I get that done. It's delivered. I'm happy. You're happy. And I'm onto the next thing. I'm not thinking of you in terms of "how comfortable are you with me? How likely are you to place a second order with me? When is that likely to happen?" All of those things.
Being Proactive
David: This also ties back to what we talked about earlier, in a previous podcast, about the whole idea of being proactive and recognizing that yeah, they might come back and place a second time order. But if you're proactive about maintaining that relationship, they'll be a lot more likely to do that more quickly.
Jay: Yeah. Very good. So what are some of those steps to move them from that comfort zone into that bullseye?
Cause I got to be honest, you know, I've been in business a long time. I've never seen people specific about this process. And I think that's why it's so important that we're talking about it. We just kind of think, "Hey, I have a product. I sold it to you. You liked it. Now you're loyal!"
Customer Loyalty Requires Active Clients
David: Yeah. And a lot of times we don't even think in terms of who is an active client? Who is a former client? Right? It's like if you bought from me, you're a client. Okay. Well, if you bought for me three years ago and you haven't bought since you might not be a client anymore.
Jay: mm-hmm
David: You might have bought from somebody else in between. I don't even know it. I'm thinking you're a client, but you're actually a former client. So a lot of that really ties into this idea of intelligent repetition of contact.
How can I maintain a relationship? And so things like drip campaigns start to become important. In other words, a series of communications that you can put out to the people who have done business with you in the past, so that you're in front of them when they're ready to make another buying decision.
Consistent Communication
Or, depending on your communication, that could encourage them to make another buying decision depending on what that communication is.
But even if it's something as simple as having an email that goes out -- whether it's once a month or once every couple of weeks -- so that you're staying in front of them with good, solid, useful information that is beneficial to them.
That type of thing is going to keep you top of mind with them rather than "yeah. I bought something from you a long time ago and now I've forgotten who you are."
Jay: Yeah. I love that you said "solid, useful information." Not just, "Hey, I've got a sale. Hey, I've got this."
Get the Email Opened
I feel like if you can give that value-add, they're going to be more likely to open it in the first place. Because that's the first thing. Just get them to open the email.
David: Yeah.
Jay: And if they feel like "these guys are sending me free information and it's actionable." I feel like that's a great process.
David: Yeah, it's really is. And particularly at that comfort level, as we're talking about. If you're reasonably comfortable with me because I delivered your first order well. And then you're getting other things from me that are helpful to you in your day-to-day life, as it relates to my business...
Jay: mm-hmm
David: That's going to be a positive thing and it can then help plant ideas in your head about other things that we could potentially do together to further your goals and to increase sales on my end as well.
Surveys and Next Steps
Jay: Does sending out surveys, like "tell us how we did," does that help increase loyalty?
David: Yeah. Surveys are great. And I mean, "tell us how we did" surveys are great. But also just finding out what they might want. In other words, what would they like next? That type of thing. Yeah. Finding out how well you did, but also finding out where they need the most help.
One of my favorite questions, whenever I talk to anybody who could potentially be a prospect is, "where do you need the most help?" And it's amazing what people come up with.
"Where Do You Need the Most Help?"
Sometimes they come up with things that have no relation to what you're selling at all. It's like, "well, I can't help with that." But in a lot of cases, just by asking the question, it gets them thinking in terms of what they might need and how you might be able to help them to accomplish their goals.
Jay: Yeah.
David: Cause it's got to be about them.
Jay: Yeah. And I think that also puts them in a position where you're helping them instead of them feeling like you're pushing them towards one thing. And that's the only reason you're there and you're not going to listen to anything else?
Obscurity to Recognition to Comfort to Customer Loyalty
David: Yes. And when you think of it, in terms of these circles -- recognition, to comfort, to loyalty -- and trying to stay away from obscurity as much as possible...
Jay: Yeah.