Many entrepreneurs often tend to overlook the benefits of tapping into their existing customer base. Continually searching for new customers does contribute to business growth, but it can also become a costly and time-consuming endeavor over time.
Existing or repeat customers play an important role in providing businesses with a reliable revenue stream at a lower cost. As entrepreneurs increasingly focus on this audience, knowing how to effectively build and maintain strong relationships with current customers requires a strategic approach.
To help, 20 Forbes Business Advice Members discuss practices for building and maintaining customer relationships to encourage customer loyalty. Read on to find out which strategies have proven successful for them and their businesses.
1. Invest time to get to know your customers
Business is relationships, so invest time in getting to know your customers. For people to buy from you, they have to like and trust you. It is essential to eliminate the underlying agenda of “I only care about you because we do business.” The best business relationships translate into friendships. I have customers who have purchased from us through many changes and positions over the years. Focus on relational maturity. – James DiNardo, HotelStaff.com
2. Build a foundation of vulnerability and partnership
As a guide for my clients on their sustainability journey, our relationship is based on vulnerability and shared risk management. Our work combines personal experiences, passions and challenges while navigating the path to progress. This sincere behavior, as a fundamental best practice, creates lasting connections and fuels customer loyalty. – Jody L. Bickel, Creekbank Associates
3. Communicate Consistently and Proactively
Maintaining strong customer relationships requires consistent and proactive communication. Rather than reacting to problems, combine technology with traditional relationship building to anticipate customer needs. This proactive approach improves customer satisfaction while reducing workload in the long term, fostering loyalty, encouraging repeat business and freeing up time to allow for a more personal approach. – Kári Thor R., Criezen
4. Cultivate long-term relationships
The best way is to cultivate long-term relationships not only in the business context but also beyond it. For example, playing sports, attending events, and maintaining good relationships with business owners builds confidence in you as an individual and business owner. Trust is the key to sales success because price is not as critical as the reliability of your ability to fulfill your commitments. – ILYA Likhov, Neosun Energy
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5. Maintain constant momentum on customer needs and expectations
Building and maintaining strong customer relationships requires constant consideration of customer needs and expectations. Learn about their experiences with you. What are the main friction points in the customer journey? What issues are driving customers away and which ones matter most? Focus on understanding and reducing friction to make it easy for customers to do business with you. – Paula Courtney, The Green Group
6. Adapt customer interactions
Adopting a hyper-personalized approach to customer service is becoming increasingly important to retain customers. Overlaying contextual information with customer data creates experiences, products and services that can be highly tailored to each customer. This helps strengthen customer relationships and build customer loyalty through advanced AI, data and analytics. – Vishal Marria, Quantex
7. Always be honest and competent
Having worked regularly with startups, two important factors contributing to business success are customer satisfaction and market competitiveness. The best way to build trust and loyalty is to always be honest and knowledgeable about your product or service and how it compares to your competitors. Don’t just sell; be a better value with quality and price to prove your worth. – Charles Stanton, Transitional consultation
8. Provide a great customer experience
Focus on providing a great customer experience. Build trust in your brand by engaging with customers on social media and providing easy ways for them to interact with your brand. Make sure your website is user-friendly and includes FAQs and product information. Connect with customers via live chat and use their feedback to build your pipeline of future product releases. – Kelley Higney, Insect bite thing
9. Follow up after purchases
Following up with customers after purchase is another great way to build lasting customer relationships. I have found this approach to be quite powerful in building customer loyalty and ensuring repeat sales in my business. This strengthens the relationship beyond the actual sale and serves to keep customers engaged in the business. – Walid Najam, NEO innovations
10. Ask for and implement customer suggestions
Asking customers for feedback and then visibly implementing their suggestions creates a dynamic of co-creation. This not only shows respect for their opinions, but also reinforces their sense of ownership in your relationship, encouraging continued loyalty. – Reggie Young, Exit Advisor – Business Broker
11. Make every customer feel special
Treat every customer like they’re a VIP: send them a quick message just to check in or share a tip they’ll love, even if you don’t sell anything. It’s about creating that “wow” factor and showing that you’re truly invested in their wins. When customers feel valued beyond the sale, they not only come back, but they bring their friends, too. – Dr Christina Carter, Its Practice®
12. Foster real connections
A good practice is to foster genuine connections by applying the five indicators of belonging. This means that customers feel understood, known, included, supported and proud. Regular check-ins, personalized engagement, and feedback loops show their commitment to their success. For us, this approach has built trust, strengthened loyalty, and encouraged customer loyalty because customers feel like they are an integral part of our journey. – Andrea Carter, Andrea Carter Consulting | Belonging First
13. Participate in active listening
We build lasting relationships with our clients by first listening to their needs, challenges, goals and expectations. This helps us set a higher standard of service. We consistently go above and beyond to anticipate problems and find opportunities to exceed expectations. Above all, we show our clients that we are invested in their success long after the contract is signed. – Scott Paddock, Wonderful health
14. Leverage Data for Personalization
A best practice for building lasting customer relationships is proactive, data-driven personalization. Adapt solutions by leveraging customer data and insights to anticipate needs and deliver value before you’re asked. This approach has allowed us to increase customer loyalty by 30%. Regular touchpoints and performance reviews build trust, showing customers we are committed to their long-term success. – Sergei Bouchin, Irbisio Clean Technology Infrastructure Fund
15. Stay in Touch
Many businesses lose customers by not staying in touch with them. Make sure they have important phone numbers and emails to text or reach you and your staff. Some customers are tired of automation and AI, so know your customers. While younger customers under 40 want automation, older customers want a personal touch. You have to figure out how to balance that. – Allen Kopelman, National Payment Systems Inc.
16. Prioritize in-person meetings
Over the past two years, Kay Properties has really emphasized the importance of in-person meetings. For example, one of our vice presidents recently drove in one day from San Diego to Northern California to visit three clients in person. Visiting customers in person is a powerful business development strategy because it builds stronger relationships, builds trust and fosters loyalty. – Chay Rabbit, Kay Properties and Investments
17. Offer real help with no strings attached
A good practice for building lasting relationships is to offer genuine help without expecting anything in return. When customers feel like you truly care about their success, it builds trust and loyalty. For me, providing valuable advice, being sincerely invested in their goals, and showing genuine support encouraged customer loyalty. People are remembered when they are treated with honesty and care. – Miriam Married, Conscious career
18. Tell the whole truth
In addition to the fact that customers not only need to trust you implicitly, they also need “bad news” at least as much as good news. When something goes wrong or hasn’t worked well, they need to know immediately what happened, why it happened, what you did to alleviate the situation, and how you will prevent it from happening again. reproduces. A good customer will understand and truly thank you. – Neil Cadman, Cadman Group
19. Go beyond your customers’ expectations
The thing that worked best for my business in relationship building was “unreasonable hospitality.” Going beyond the expectations of our customers and retailers is the secret to our success. In a world full of low-income businesses, I’ve learned that generosity often comes to you in unexpected ways, both in the short and long term. – Kate Assaraf, Soak
20. Prioritize their long-term success
Focus on their long-term success, not just short-term deals. Focus on proactive communication, personalized solutions and ongoing support. By understanding their evolving needs and providing value beyond the initial sale, we build trust and loyalty. This approach has led to strong, repeat business because clients view us as partners invested in their growth. – Danny Hayes II, TerraScale