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First, let me state that you need to treat every customer as if they are royalty. However, your existing customers have a relationship with you. They trust you and return to you for a number of reasons. The key to growing a business is to get NEW customers to return. Survey after survey shows that customer retention greatly improves with each vehicle visit. So, you need to give your new customers a compelling reason to return. Plus, you need a marketing plan that reaches out to your customers to keep your business top of mind. What marketing strategies to you have that makes a great impression on new customers and makes them wanting to return?

The common buzz in business is to market to new, potential customers. This is a smart strategy given that every business losses customers each year, and we need to replace those lost customers. However, we also need a marketing plan that takes care of our existing customers. It is cheaper and easier to retain your customers, than to market for new ones. What strategies do you employ to retain your existing customers?

We all know the value of making a great first impression. The way you greet your customers has a direct affect on sales and your overall success. But, why is it even more important to impress a first time customer? Think about your favorite restaurant which you have been going to for years. You are a loyal to that restaurant and continue to patronize it without even thinking about it. But do you go out of way to promote that restaurant? Probably not; and unless someone happens to ask you, you don't go around your neighborhood telling everyone about your favorite restaurant. Your long-time customers are no different. You have done a great job over the years and built long-lasting relationships. You have created a level of experience that they have to come accept. And to some degree, take for granted. This is not a bad thing. Its just a fact. This is one of the reasons why you need to continue to deliver that level of service your customers have grown accustomed to in order to keep them. Now, lets take a first-time customer. Their anxiety is usually high. Your shop is all new to them and they don't know what to expect. They may have had a bad experience at another shop. If you dont do something so extraordinary, they will not be impressed. And if they are not impressed they will leave your shop with no reason to promote it, and no reason to return either. But, if you really do WOW them, if you go the extra mile and create an amazing experience, they will leave your shop with a feeling of elation. When the level of experience for a first-time is so extraordinary, they will leave your shop and become song birds for you. They will tell their family about you, their friends and their coworkers. Each new customer is an opportunity to grow your business. If the experience with a new customer is less the ordinary, so will your business.