Recipe: Wowing New Customers
The number one reason customers don’t buy from a business again is…perceived indifference. If your customers don’t feel as though you care about them, they’re not likely to make another purchase, refer you or offer good reviews. On the other hand, a happy customer can be one of your greatest assets in growing your business. Saying “thank you” and keeping in close touch with your customers will increase your profits significantly.
Content Ingredients
- New Customer Welcome Email
- “Checking In” Email
- Review Request Emails
- Testimonial Request Emails
- Referral Request Emails
- Feedback Request Emails
- Customer Loyalty Discount Emails
Processing Time
A solid 4 weeks and continually forever
The initial follow up with your customers should be frequent (2-3 times a week) for at least the first month after they’ve purchased. This is your time to make sure your customer got what they were expecting and are happy about it.
After the first month, your emails can be less frequent. But be sure to email them at least twice a month. Four times a month is probably better.
Keep the relationship going for as long as your customer stays engaged (even a little bit) with you.
Preparation
No special preparation is needed. Once you’ve made that sale, the only thing your customers need is to know you’re there.
Tools
No special tools needed except for a solid automated emailing system. We highly recommend Infusionsoft.
Step-by-Step Directions
= Campaigns included with our All Access Membership
1. Immediately welcome your new customer.
Can you imagine how you would feel if you made a purchase and didn’t get a thank you (in person) or thank you email (online purchase)? If nothing else, make sure you immediately connect with your new customer to thank them for choosing you. If you need help writing this email, see our New Customer Welcome Campaigns. We have 4 campaigns based on how your customer makes their purchase. Digital Product – In-Store Purchase – Physical Product – Services
2. Check in on your customer.
Two or three days after your customers purchase, reach out again and make sure everything is as great as they hoped. To create the best relationship with your customers, make this a genuine “checking in” email or text. Don’t muddy the message with requests or special offers. You’ll get to that soon. If you need help with this email, see our New Customer Welcome Campaigns. Digital Product – In-Store Purchase – Physical Product – Services
3. (Optional) Request a review.
If you are a service-based business, then you already know that reviews (or lack thereof) can make or break you. If you want reviews, then you need to ask for them. A few days to a week after your services were performed, feel free to reach out to your customers and ask for a review. If you can let them know where to post the review and/or provide them with a link, you are more likely to get a response. If you need help writing emails requesting a review, see our Review Request Campaign . We have 2 versions: with and without an incentive. Please note that some review sites will blacklist you if they know you offered an incentive in exchange for the review.
4. (Optional) Request a testimonial.
The more testimonials you can put on your website, the more proof you have that your products or services work. So ask for a testimonial. The great thing about asking for testimonials is that it usually puts you in direct contact with the customer, which helps to build the relationship. If you serve the B-to-B market, you can let your customer know that you’ll include a link to their website along with the testimonial – further enhancing the relationship. If you need help writing emails asking for testimonials, see our Testimonial Request Campaigns . We have 2 versions: with and without an incentive.
5. (Optional) Request referrals.
The easiest sales in the world come from people who have been referred. So ask your customers for referrals. It’s a great way to connect with them again, and potentially find more people to sell to. If you have a referral partner program, you could even invite them to sign up for your program and earn commissions. (See our Creating a Referral Partner Program Campaign recipe if you’d like to start your own program.) If you need help with some emails requesting referrals, see our Referral Generator Campaigns with both incentive and no incentive versions.
6. Get customer feedback so you can improve your products and/or services.
While this could be an “optional” step, we want to really, really encourage it. Nothing says you value your customers more than to ask them what you’re doing right and how you can improve. Plan to send this about a month to 6 weeks after their purchase. If you need help with these emails, see our Customer Feedback Campaigns (campaigns based on either the product or the experience.)
7. Offer your customers loyalty discounts and other perks.
Too often it seems the great “deals” are for new customers only. Be sure to let your customers know they’re far more important to you than new sign-ups by offering the occasional discount, add-on, or free bonus. And be aware of any special opportunities you can share with your customers as well. If you need help crafting some sales emails, see our Customer Loyalty Discount Campaign .
8. Continue to follow up.
You should be in contact with your customers a minimum of twice a month. Send news updates, link to blog posts or articles, or simply ask them how they are doing. But keep in touch. Not sure what to put in your follow up emails? See our 52 Weeks of Email Marketing Ideas or our Writing Relationship-based Emails Report .
Note: Amazingly, up-selling and cross selling to your customers is another way to show you appreciate them. Neither of those strategies is included in this recipe. For cross sell and upsell ideas, see the “Cross Selling and Up Selling” recipe.
