Where Did They Go? 7 Reasons Why You’re Losing Customers
Building a business to have a large customer base is not an easy task by any means. It takes a while to attract loyal, dedicated buyers who love and trust your products and services. So imagine how scared business owners feel when they start to lose the foundation to their companies- yes, customers.
Companies start to lose customers due to a variety of reasons. But they all stem from some sort of neglect on the company’s end. Keep reading if you’re facing this issue and want to know 7 common reasons why your business might be losing customers.
1. Inconsistent Branding
When people become interested in a business, it may seem like it’s just because of one reason but that’s not really the case. The actual reason people begin to support companies is because of the branding behind it. And this is compiled of a variety of factors.
A company’s branding doesn’t just stop at their colors and logo. It also holds the message and mission that connects them to their audience. If you begin to become inconsistent with any of these factors, you’ll probably start losing customers.
Avoid creating inconsistencies in your branding by focusing on how cohesive all of your content is that you’re publishing. Make sure that your brand voice is solidly captured in anything with your name on it.
2. Disappointing Product or Service
Social proof is an important part of marketing your products or services. However, the only way to get genuine testimonials is to provide customers with exactly what you promised. And anything less will probably end up in a negative review.
So a great way to stop losing customers based on disappointment after purchase is to make sure your products or services are as high of quality as you’ve advertised them to be. This may take a lot more testing and trial runs that you anticipated but it’ll pay off in the long run.
3. Fluctuating Prices
Most people are willing to pay anything from free to outrageous prices when it comes to something they love in believe in. But what they probably won’t like is paying inconsistent prices for the same product or service every time they go to make a purchase.
Businesses needing to test out various pricepoints before getting to the right one is understandable. But you should be wary of how often you’re fluctuating them for testing and what portions of your audience the trials are visible to.
Try figuring to keep prices as stable as possible when you’re growing a customer base. Also, remember to prepare your existing customers with notice before abruptly raising prices (maybe even consider a discount the first time around).
4. Lack of Communication
Marketers have figured out that nurturing your audience tends to keep them around longer. This is typically done via an email list or CRM tool. Whichever way you choose to stay in communication with them matters less than how often you actually do.
Invest in a system for your business that focuses solely on consumer engagement, relationships, and communication. This will help with managing customer retention and decrease your company losing customers. Every business is different so you may have to search around to find the perfect software for communication that suits your company.
5. Poor Customer Service
Let’s say you have a phenomenal product, great hours of operation and you’re on the ball with marketing. So what could possibly be the reason for this customer loss you’re experiencing?
We’ve got two words for you- customer service.
The truth is no matter how amazing your product is, nobody wants to deal with crappy attitudes and impatient representatives. This can be the downfall of your business if you don’t make sure to hire the right people for your sales team.
Make sure all of your staff has proper customer service training and understand all of the professional protocol that you enforce. Also be sure to lead by example with positivity, good social skills and grade A communication skills. Customers will keep coming back to a company where they are treated like royalty and feel appreciated.
6. Struggling Sales Tactics
Lots of people are not natural salesmen/women. And that’s fine- but if you don’t recognize this quick enough it could lead to your company losing customers and money.
In order for your business to thrive, you need to have good sales tactics. People can see through cheesy sales pitches from pushy fast-talkers. Your selling should be natural and ultimately end with providing a solution or something of value to the consumer.
Take some time to evaluate your current selling methods and see how well they’re doing in practice. It might be time to go back to the drawing board if customers aren’t biting the bait. Also, check to see if any employees are struggling with implementing the sales strategies.
7. Switching Up Products or Services
Sometimes companies stop listening to their customers and then bad things happen. For instance, you might have a star product or service that everyone loves and then you snatch it away. Most existing customers are not going to be happy about that and they’ll eventually try to find a replacement for it elsewhere.
Switching up on products and services too often is the type of volatile behavior that could drive your audience in the opposite direction. Keep your ears open to what people love about your company. And show them that you are being receptive to their reviews and suggestions.
Ready for Your Company to Stop Losing Customers?
Running a business is like getting into a relationship with your target audience. They will be loyal to you more and more each time you listen to them, nurture them, show them they are appreciated and send them gifts.
But the last thing you want to do is neglect them or constantly fall short on your promises. Having strong communication with your customers can help grow your business significantly and will keep you from losing customers.
If you’re struggling with getting or keeping customers, check out more articles in our blog section for tips and guidance.