The MYTH of Customer Loyalty

I’m sure this has never happened to you ... not in your business.

But ... did you know there are customers who actually drift from one business to another?

Yes, believe it or not, some businesses have had customers or clients, who they’ve been dealing with for months or even years, just suddenly ... disappear!

*poof*

Where do they go?

They go to your competitor!

Sometimes, they drift away without thinking much about it ... sometimes it’s quite intentional, due to something you do that they think you shouldn’t ... or something they think you should do but you don’t.

Whatever the reason, the end result is ... they’re gone.

Which brings me to today’s BIG WARNING:

*** Never fall for “The Myth of Customer Loyalty”! ***

Anytime you start lamenting over the lack of “loyalty” among your customers, STOP ... and consider the following...

Most of us are familiar with that one particular radio station playing in every customer’s head ... all day, every day:

WII-FM ... “What’s In It For Me”.

They’ve been listening to that same station all their life. (And I’ll bet you have, too.)

Now you may win them over to YOUR station, initially, by playing THEIR favorites ... in other words, by giving them what they want.

But ... if your signal grows weak or drifts, they won’t stay tuned-in, listening to static. If you change your format, they won’t just automatically change their tastes.

People remain “loyal” to whoever best satisfies their needs and desires. That’s as far as “customer loyalty” extends.

The danger in thinking in terms of “customer loyalty” is the assumption (even if it’s “only” in your subconscious) that it’s something the CUSTOMER does.

THEY remain loyal.

Or they don’t.

Truth is ... you don’t ever want to leave something this important to your customer ... or to “chance”.

So how do you get around this problem?

I suggest you do so ... by eliminating the whole “customer loyalty” mindset, itself.

From now on, your concern is for “Customer RETENTION”!

You may think this is just a question of semantics ... of “playing with words”. But it’s more than that. It’s playing with your own mind.

This simple change in wording ... and in attitude ... places responsibility squarely in YOUR hands. Now your subconscious accepts that it is entirely up to YOU to “RETAIN” customers – not up to THEM to REMAIN loyal.

If you’ve ever felt that “customer loyalty” was a problem for you, you may notice a change in your business simply by adopting this new mindset. And doing so will allow your subconscious to think of many new approaches to achieving your goal.

Remember: it is far easier (and less expensive!) to retain a current customer ... than to acquire a new one!

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This article is adapted from "Effective Marketing Methods", available here:
http://www.AlHendersonOnline.com