Nothing is worse than a customer signing up, paying you, not using your product because they are frustrated and then canceling. Uggggghhh so frustrating – I hate this so much. I focus HARD on making sure they stay.
Here are my top 10 tips that I use every day, every night. 24/7 baby! All right, here we go:
10. Pick up the Damn Phone and Call Them
Yes, I know you aren’t suppose to call a girl until 3 days after the first date. This isn’t dating. They gave you their billing information (which is pretty much a homerun in business) – call them ASAP and ask if you can help them out with anything. If they don’t pick up – leave a voicemail. Follow Up with an email. Text them as well – because honestly no one checks voicemail anymore.
9. Make Training Sessions Mandatory
Boom! Tell them every customer has to go through a training session. It is mandatory – No Questions Asked. Book the training session right after you close the deal. Make sure they attend – don’t let them weasel out of it. Offer incentives like a Free Edible Arrangements when the complete the session.
Make the training session fun and effective. I like to do a reverse screen share. Where I watch them use our product. I also like to get the product working for them on the call.
If you can get away with it, charge for the training session. Otherwise, let the customer know it is included in the cost. They will love it.
8. Make them Successful in Whatever Means Necessary
Know their business and make them successful. Do whatever it takes to make sure they see ROI on your product. If you have to use other tools or methods to make them successful – DO IT! Don’t be annoying about it, think outside the box and make it happen for them.
- Do they need the data also in their Salesforce account – just do it, build the damn integration.
- They need extra reports every month – put it on you calendar, and manually send them reports.
- They want you to train their intern who also happens to be their bosses son who doesn’t give a damn? Train the hell out of him – make him an Expert.
7. Charge More Money
If you really care about the customer. Start charing them more so you can give them more attention. Build your top notch service into the price. Customers don’t mind paying you a little extra coin, if you can actually provide results.
Business owners are sick and tired of crappy internet products that just don’t work or are too complicated to use. Smart customers are willing to pay more for excellent service for something that actually helps their business grow.
6. Actually Care
Yes, this one shouldn’t be on the list but it is and it actually matters.
When your customer wins, you win BIG! You have a life long customer and they will probably tell customers about you.
5. Find out what your customer wants – they are the BOSS!
In most cases you work with the “Manager” and not the “CEO”. The customer is the manager and not the CEO. Make the manager look good. You report to the manager – that guy is your boss. You make your manager look good and don’t worry about the rest. Make suggestions about what will work for their business – but always always focus on making your “Boss” look amazing.
4. Be a High End Concierge Service
Think of yourself as a concierge service. Lets say you run a hotel and one of your regulars mentions that he is about to propose to his girlfriend of 12 years. Boom! This is your chance – give him a free upgrade to the presidential suite. Decorate their bed with rose petals, throw in some free champagne. Now, you have a customer for a life and story he will tell everyone.
Same thing with software products. Remember what types of features your top customers are suggesting and when you launch them – send them a personal email about it. Tell them you not only want to help implement it for them but also show them it over a screenshare so they can see the full power of it.
3. Figure out why they aren’t launching
If they bought the product, you know they are excited about it but a few weeks have gone by and they have not launched. FIND OUT WHY! Call, text, voicemail, snapchat, meerkat, badger, prowler, whatever they are on – you be on now and get to them ASAP!
There are 3 reasons…. I mean 3 Excuses why people buy and don’t launch, and this sucks for you. Everyday they don’t launch, is a day closer to them canceling.
Reason #1 They are “busy”
Reason #2 They need to get approval from their team
Reason #3 Waiting for something else to happen before (like a website redesign, a new person to start, etc, etc)
These are NOT reasons, they are EXCUSES.
If they are busy, ask when they are next available – you can work their hours if needed (weekend or nights if needed – just offer this, most probably they won’t take you up on this, but this lets them know you are serious). Get a date, book it on the calendar. If they try to cancel on you next time – let them know that you booked this way in advance around their schedule – so it is pretty rude of them to pull that one you.
If they need approval. Book a meeting with their entire team so you can get buy in. At the end of the call – get buy in from all team members. “Okay, does everyone here approve? Perfect, lets get this launched right now!”
If they are waiting for X … this is a tough one and a total cop out. Talk about how your service can provide value NOW and they are losing money every second they don’t launch.
2. Be FAST
Don’t be one of those software providers that takes 3 months to implement. No one, I mean no one appreciates that. Get to the launch quickly. Setup your entire team around speed.
You are on a ticking timer as soon as your customer pays you. Everyday you don’t launch for them is another day, your “Boss” looks bad in front of his company.
1. Be an Expert and Let Them Know That
You have to get the customer’s trust. Without the customer’s trust you have NOTHING! No trust, no agreement, no launch, no money.
When the customer believes in your expertise, they will give you the freedom to implement things without their buy-in on every little detail. Be up front about the fact that you do this for a living day-in and day-out. Ask for their trust if you have to. Let them know what has worked for other similar clients in the past which is why you are suggesting the strategy you are proposing.
Didn’t read this massive list of awesome stuff?
TLDR; Make the customer successful as soon as possible
