by Lisa Mazurek

Created on: March 28, 2009   Last Updated: April 02, 2011

If your a business owner then you know how hard it is to build a customer base and once you get a customer base you want to keep it. Well, one way to keep your customers is to know why customers don't return or why they stop using your services. This can be the key to keeping your customers. Another way of keeping your customers is to always put the customer first.

Some reasons customers may take their business elsewhere are unavoidable because customers move away or choose a closer store. But what about the customer that is going to one of your competitors? Well, we may be business owners but we are also consumers too. With that in mind we should think like a customer. Ask yourself what would make you change services or go to another business. Some things that come to mind are prices, quality, hours, availability of products and lack of customer service.

As a business owner you always need to be one step ahead of your competition. In order to do this you need to keep track of your competition. This means compare prices and any change in the quality of their products.

Now, you need to evaluate your own business. How are your employees doing? Do they have a good attitude and are they giving good customer service? Are your products in stock and shelves faced? Is your business operating during the hours posted? Is your store clean?

If your business is in the service industry be sure to keep track of your competitors or new companies. Having well trained employees that are reliable and trustworthy to do the job well every time will help too. Never change products if they work even if it is cost effective. This could hurt your business. Invest time and money in educating your employees. This may help in raising their standards of workmanship. Keep in contact with your customers to get feedback on the work that was done. If there is ever a problem you can take care of it right away. Customers appreciate this and you make them feel important. It is also a good idea to occasionally visit the customer just to inspect the job that was done.

Some other ways to keep your customers is by offering a referral program or giving customer appreciation discounts. Sometimes it is the little things that can keep your customers coming back. A customer wants to feel welcomed and comfortable when shopping. So just being friendly, helpful and showing an interest in them may do the trick. Remember, happy and satisfied customers will refer more customers. This will increase your business and profits. So the little things you do and the time and money invested will not only keep your customers but will get you new ones.

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