Customer Loyalty

I believe customer loyalty and your reputation are interwoven. Loyal
customers spread the word more effectively than media advertising,
imho.

So this raises the question of how one fosters customer loyalty. I’d
be interested in hearing what others do.

Top of my list is having the customer’s best interest in mind. Take
care of them and they will take care of you.

I give freebees. Commensurate with the customer’s record. If Ms.
Jones spent well recently she gets a repair for free. Mr. Smith
commissions a costly piece for his wife, he also gets a related thing
for his daughter. I suppose its like value added. Exceeding
expectations(I do dislike jargon though).

Good customers get perks. They are usually grateful and make
referrals.

And then there’s what happens when things go wrong. Fix things as
best I can and make sure the customer appreciates that I’m upset with
the situation too and really desire to make them whole.

Some other ideas?..

Loyalty and reputation are interwoven, but so is marketing. I wish I
was better at it, I see a lot of people thrilled with what I do, only
to see them try out another place. I also see people confuse a strong
marketing message with reputation. Freebies are great esp. in the
repair department, but I don’t think they’ll bring you that diamond
sale.

Case in point: Mrs Jones’ husband buys her a $3000 diamond necklace,
you give her a new lobster claw for her old chain so she can wear it
easier. Twelve months later Mrs. Jones comes and for some minor
repair and you find out her son just got engaged.

Case in point #2: All year long you do minor repairs for Mrs. Smith.
January rolls around and she asks you to size a ring that her
husband bought from the mall. He forgot you were there didn’t he?

I’ve had this over and over. I’d like to know what others are doing
about this. I mail out Thank You post cards with a huge logo on one
side so that the guys in the family would know WHERE to shop, but it
doesn’t seem like enough.

I’ve thought about that guys night, but I’m not wild about alcohol
and cigars in my store… lol Anybody try this with success?

Stanley