What's your recommendation rate with your customers?
Rock stars have droves of raving fans, why can’t you? The truth is, you can and you probably already do. They’re called your loyal customers. The most powerful thing you can do to reach rock star status among homeowners is to identify who those raving customers are and empower them to use their voice to share with others why they would recommend your business. The following are a couple of points to keep in mind as you get started developing your fan base.
Who’s in your fan club?
Think you know which of your customers are diehard fans of your work? Guess again. Generally, customers aren’t forthcoming with every concern they have. In fact, 25% will never even mention an issue to you. They just politely tolerate problems that they believe to be small. Well, those small molehills quickly turn into mountains for your business, and soon enough you’re missing out on winning over a new fan. Guildmember, Degnan Design Builders learned this lesson the hard way. They once finished a window replacement job two days behind its deadline. Degnan and team were honest and communicated with the client about the issue, and their apology went over seemingly smooth. However, what they didn’t see is that beneath the surface their client lost some trust in them.
Fortunately, Degnan Design Builders (being the ultimate rock stars they are) had a follow-up process in place which shined a spotlight on their client’s area of concern. They were able to capture an unbiased assessment of their performance by removing themselves from the situation and allowing GuildQuality to step in and gather the client’s feedback on their behalf. Seeing that damage had been done to the relationship, Degnan Design Builders quickly reached out to mend the relationship. In doing so, they welcomed another person into their fan club.
Surveying gives Degnan Design Builders the opportunity to measure how well they’re satisfying their customer base, and it can do the same for you. One surefire way to identify your raving fans is by asking how likely they are to recommend your business to a friend. Not only is it a key indicator of your overall performance, but it also makes you aware of those customers who feel comfortable sharing their story with others, and those who may need a little more nurturing.
Empower customers to use their voice.
Beyonce didn’t become Beyonce overnight. Her rise to acclaim began with one fan who liked what they heard and decided to tell others. The same scenario also played out for some of today’s most successful home builders, remodelers, and home services professionals. One homeowner had a great experience and shared their story with neighbors, friends, and family. While there will always be clients of yours who are accustomed to sharing reviews and even feel natural doing so, the vast majority need some guidance and encouragement.
Empowering your customers to use their voice, especially online, can be as easy as communicating with each client how much you value their testimony and the benefit other homeowners would get from it as well. Everyone wants to feel like their voice matters and reassuring your clients that you appreciate them and their input can help to make them feel the motivation they need to speak up. Stake your company’s claim on sites like Houzz, Kudzu, Google, and other online directories, as well as social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Not only is this important from the standpoint of knowing what’s being said about your business and boosting your SEO, but it also provides an easy way for your customers to find your business and an avenue for their voices to echo loudly, providing viral proof of your service excellence.
Daniel Hopkins, Vice President of Operations & Development for Jeff Benton Homes, sums up the importance of fans best.
“Our customers are our best marketers. We’ve learned that if you develop a great relationship with them and work to truly delight them, you’ll earn referral business. I’d rather have 100 raving fans selling our homes, over one sales agent any day.”
