When we talk about strengthening the relationship with customers, we often put the accent on technical aspects, on commercial issues, on getting the client to repeat sales with us offering discounts, social networks , etc. But the human factor is rarely valued to make the client loyal .
It is a key issue for many SMEs. Not only do you have to know the customer, but you also have to be close enough for them to feel comfortable with us. A commercial relationship is established, it is not about being friends, but being close to the client and empathizing with what he asks, offering the best viable solution at that time.
Sometimes an SME is not competitive against a large company, which has more staff, more resources, more infrastructure, etc. But unlike that, an SME knows its client better , that feels more comfortable if it always attends to the same person, or a small group of people.
Making a simile, the SME has an X-ray of his client similar to what a dentist has of his . He knows perfectly well what problems he has and is even able to anticipate what will arise in the future. For customers who repeat with this small company they know that they will not have to go through a diagnostic process from scratch.
The complicity arises, and it goes without saying much more, of “you remember what I told you, because we put it in motion” . The reality is that in many cases it is impossible to maintain this closeness if we have a constant turnover of personnel . It is not that the people who join are not trained, but that this trust needs to be cultivated little by little.
A CRM and a good documentation of the client helps to cement this relationship. Not always the same person will be able to attend this client, but if he has correctly documented his relationships with him, it will be easier for a partner to take charge of this task and resume it where they left off. If that “you remember what I told you …” does not depend on the memory and is fixed as a business contact or a customer need, the question will be resolved.
Because after all we are animals of customs . It is enough to go to a bar for the second time, that you unconsciously end up sitting in the same place you did it the first time. You can even feel somewhat upset if another person occupies it at that moment. And this is what the SME must take advantage of in order to try to build loyalty to its client with a closer deal.