As a founder, you know what makes a good CTO, CFO, Social Media Manager and so on. But can you identify the same sort of qualities in your clients? We asked nine entrepreneurs from Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) the following question:
“What is a sure sign of a loyal customer?”
How to Identify a Loyal Customer
Here’s what YEC community members had to say:
1. They Don’t Consider Cost an Issue
“When your customers do business with you because of the service your provide and/or the results you deliver and price is never mentioned, then you know you have, without a doubt, a very loyal customer. My agency works with brands of all sizes, and while the smaller companies could nickel and dime us or ask for price matching, they don’t, simply because they know the type of results they receive.” ~ Jonathan Long, Market Domination Media
2. They Advocate for You
“The sure sign that you have a loyal customer is that they start advocating for you. That could be on social media or through word-of-mouth influence with peers and friends. People who start out being adamant to use your products are your best cheerleaders.” ~ Lee Salisbury, UnitOneNine
3. They Give Testimonials and Reviews
“If a customer takes the time to give you a positive testimonial or review, there’s a good chance they’ll become a loyal customer. If possible, please reply, thanking them for their time. Also don’t be shy to ask for reviews or testimonials. Just ask them for their genuine feedback one way or another and most will be glad to share.” ~ Nicolas Gremion, Free-eBooks.net
4. They Invite You to Industry Events
“If your customers are inviting you to attend their industry events to share to their industry peers, they are getting above and beyond value from your product. Make your customers successful and you will be successful.” ~ James McDonough, SEE Forge creators of FAT FINGER
5. They Come to You for Everything
“They think of you first no matter what issue they are having because they trust you’ll have an answer or solution for them. You may not have the right product or service but they know you will have some advice or connect them with a company that does for that particular issue. Of course, they also tell everyone else about you and write positive reviews.” ~ Murray Newlands, Due.com
6. They Put Their Full Trust in You
“A loyal customer is one who puts their full trust in your work and does not question your every move. There is no hesitation for renewal because they understand that you know what you’re doing and you’re doing everything and anything to benefit their company.” ~ Leila Lewis, Be Inspired PR
7. Recency, Frequency, Monetary (RFM) Value
“Use the RFM (Recency, Frequency, Monetary) model to reveal your most loyal and best customers. Your best customers will be the most recent (within the last 30 days), buy more often, and have spent the most amount of time with you. At any time, we can pull a report and see our best customers and those falling off.” ~ Chris Brisson, Call Loop
8. Your Company Is Tied to Their Identity
“When a company’s impact on our lives has been profoundly positive, we experience a shift in identity; we see that company as part of our own story. The company’s identity becomes inseparable from our own. At that point loyalty intensifies and price becomes less relevant to buying decisions. When we are part of multiple transformative moments, we see loyalty for life.” ~ Corey Blake, Round Table Companies
9. They’ll Call You Out
“For us, loyal customers are engaged. They don’t hesitate to have open, honest conversations to deliver constructive feedback on how we can be better. They work with us to build the relationship and the quality of the product we deliver and provide transparency into their business as well. When things get tough, rather than looking elsewhere, they give us feedback to make the relationship better.” ~ Dan Golden, Be Found Online
Apple Customers Photo via Shutterstock