VANISHED CUSTOMERS ARE YOUR HIDDEN TREASURES. WIN THEM BACK TO SUSTAIN YOUR SUCCESS
Customers are the foundation of your business. Exceeding their expectations by respecting and rewarding their patronage is the best way to win back their retention and loyalty with your dealership.
If customers feel your dealership’s products or services weren’t up to par and they are dissatisfied or just found a better deal elsewhere, it’s not too late to win them over. You might be able to do so if you reach out, take their concerns seriously, and show you’ll do whatever it takes to address the problem and make them feel valued.
Lost customers can teach you how to win them back. All you need to do is give them an opportunity to tell you why they left.
You will gain priceless insights into areas of weakness, and empower your dealership with the chance to regain these lost customers.
Quite often, customers stop buying from you because they feel unappreciated and ignored. It may have nothing to do with the quality of the products you are selling to them.
Studies have shown that 68 per cent of customers walk away from a business because the company or individual they are dealing with feels indifferent towards them.
Offer an Apology
If you determine the customer received sub-par products or services, or was treated poorly by dealership staff, apologize and take full responsibility for the customer’s inconvenience and financial impact.
Sometimes customers are more upset by how they are treated when they raise an issue than the issue itself.
Be specific in your apology to show the customer you understand the inconvenience. For example, tell them, “I’m sorry you were out so much time and money and I regret that our staff didn’t resolve the situation immediately.”
Scrutinize the Situation
Determine what went wrong and why, by talking to both the customer and the employees involved.
If customers left because they found a better deal or because of a slight inconvenience, they might not have negative feelings toward the dealership. That means they might be open to coming back.
A bad experience with a product or service, followed by another bad experience after a complaint, can make it harder to regain a customer’s trust.
Ask the customer why he or she left, and determine what you need to do to persuade them to give your dealership a second chance.
Proceed Promptly
The longer you wait to woo back a customer, the less receptive he or she will be. If customers left in anger, a delayed apology and attempt to make amends might be too little, too late.
Even if customers left because they preferred another dealership’s prices or products, they might be too invested in them to consider returning to your business.
If someone is happy where they are, they’ll need a big incentive to jump ship to come back. Review your customer list periodically and identify which customers you haven’t heard from.
Make contact as soon as you can so they know you’re serious about winning the customer back.
Verify Value
Demonstrate how coming back will benefit the customer. For example, offer customers a discount on their next purchase if they come back.
However, you might not be able to afford to offer every lost customer an incentive, so focus on the ones who spend the most or have the longest history with you.
Reach out via a personalized email or letter, and offer a special deal or discount to encourage the customer to act quickly.
If a customer left because they were unhappy, explain what changes you’ve made because of their negative experience.
Tell them that as a result of your conversation, you’ve made changes in how customer service representatives handle complaints about defective products or shoddy service work.
Retrieval retention
Keeping current customers is much cheaper than finding new ones, and there are many steps you can take to ensure customers stay loyal. Some retention strategies include creating touch points across the customer experience, rewarding loyalty, and simply listening to their needs. Loyal customers are like diamonds—keep them forever.
The most time and resources should be spent on your current customer base, but if you have lost a customer, it generally takes fewer resources to try to win that customer back than it does to try to find new ones.
Thank customers for their business
Customers want to know when your dealership acknowledges their patronage. A simple “Thank you” is an inexpensive way for a business to express gratitude to its customers.
Thanking customers for their business shows that your dealership values customers not only before the sale, but also after the sale, too.
Appreciation and compliments are positive gestures. They can go a long way with the customer, and can lead to future sales, referrals and long-term business relationships.
Communicating with the customers about how much you appreciate their support and the value they bring to your dealership by offering a reward is a sure way to encourage their business. This can lead to positive word-of-mouth advertising to build a better loyal customer base and win back lost customers.
TIPS AND TRICKS1 Remain patient, courteous and understanding if a customer is angry and confrontational. Avoid arguments and ask how you can improve. Be empathetic and try to see the situation from the customer’s perspective no matter how absurd it may seem. 2 Ascertain the reason your customer left or is drifting away. If you are uncertain of the reason, invite them for a meeting to discuss why they left. The problem may be a simple misunderstanding requiring a simple apology, a perceived flaw on your part that requires improvement, or the customer may be unsatisfied with results. 3 Send your customer a friendly reminder with a gift or discount coupon to tell them they are valued, and offer amends for your unsatisfactory service. Include a letter or write a followup note to admit your mistake explicitly. Explain what you have learned and done to rectify the situation, if applicable. 4 Create a quality assurance program. If your customer accepts your invitation and returns, ask for feedback. This lets them know you are trying to improve and keep communication open to prevent future misunderstandings. |