by
Tara Hornor

Why Using the Golden Rule in Business Works

The golden rule in business is just like the age-old standard of care: treat customers how you want to be treated. It is important that, as a business owner, you always think of your customers and what they want, like, and simply prefer above everything else.

If customers are not interested in what you have to offer and do not feel a personal connection, they will likely not return again. You can send them an email newsletter or direct mail postcards each week, but if they do not feel your “love” for them, you can still lose them as a customer. It is always easier to maintain previous customer relationships rather than gain new ones. Instead of putting yourself through this headache of losing and replacing customers, you have to constantly make connections with your current customers, especially if you want an easy road to success.

5 Ways to Build Connections that Make Loyal Customers

Whether you operate your small business from a local store or your business is operated entirely online, it is not so difficult to build connections that make loyal customers as long as you follow a few simple steps, which include

1. Ask questions
2. Talk about what they are interested in
3. Listen to what customers have to say
4. Have patience
5. Use social media

1.) Ask Questions

Ask your customers questions — about their interests, what they like to do, and what they prefer when buying certain products or using certain services. It helps match the customer to the products that cater to their specific wants and needs. Use surveys, follow-up phone calls, or direct emails to ask them how you can improve.

2.) Talk about Them

People want to hear about themselves. You can do this throughout your marketing content. Talk about their problems that you can solve. Highlight recent positive customer experiences. Fill your pages with solutions to their problems – don’t just talk about yourself.

3.) Listen Carefully

Make sure you provide plenty of options for your customers to get in touch, in case problems occur. And just as important, when problems arise make sure you follow up and listen carefully to what happened. Acknowledge customers’ concerns and act aggressively to resolve any outstanding issues. Use a direct email address, Twitter and other social media profiles, and phone to give customers easy access to you.

4.) Be Patient

Patience is important. Avoid confrontation, even if something negative is said. Stuff happens and a patient, caring tone with a customer is critical to long-term relationship building. No matter how exasperated you are or they get, stay calm and work to resolve issues. You may turn a customer who called with an intent of burning bridges into a powerful advocate for your business simply by patiently working through issues.

5.) Use Social Media for Feedback to Build a Connection

Social media is an excellent tool for gaining feedback from your customers, which is especially ideal if you are running an online business. Through social networking sites, you can stay in touch with your customers and communicate with them on a regular basis. Your goal is to make them feel appreciated, as if they are family, so be sure to respond to the comments they leave on your profile.

How you follow the Golden Rule in your business will determine how many loyal customers you acquire. Therefore, take the time necessary to treat customers well, to listen to their feedback and complaints, and to constantly improve your process of dealing with individual customers.

These are just a few ways that you can build connections that make loyal customers. Give these five a try. They will work for you whether you operate your small business from a local store or if your business is operated entirely online.

What else do you suggest to build customer connections that last?