Build a plan for customer retention.

Is selling or building a relationship the most important? 

The Internet allows the gathering of a sale here and there, but the development of real and useful listing of clients is yet another task. The objective should be selling a product or service online. But wait, how much did that sale or contact cost? 

Finding prospects and turning them into customers and then developing a long term client relationship will take time, but a lot less money than our original investment in the first sale. 

Many times the successful marketing professional will lay out some bait, a free offer, a special discount or some type of bonus to get that first order. Why? The successful e-market professional knows it is important to complete that first sale, get a loyalty and trust underway in order to build a new business relationship. Just as a tree grows and branches out so can the success with one new client. Future orders, recommendations and most important, additional introduced contacts for future sales is at stake. 

It is great to accumulate a long list of customers, but there is also the need for rewards to cultivate that list. A huge responsiblity is to care for the customers needs and to follow up on the sale. Additionally recording the experiences of the customers is mandated. Success is building this customer base of clients willing to give testimony to the great service and value of the products acquired. The added benefit is the clients willing to finding new customers and referring them for more business. The objective of making any list should be to build a relationship to make future meaningful contact and sales. 

Network marketing requires building relationships and loyalty that comes only with satisfaction that a fair trade has taken place. E-commerce is the art of taking a prospect turning them into a customer and building a long term trusting relationship for mutual satisfaction and benefits. 

Once the sale is consummated the real work begins. Building a mailing list and maintaining the connection into a useful and loyal client is one of the things that makes the Internet such a wonderful business.

Think about this fact: 
Using the Internet we have the means of immediate and inexpensive return contacts with our customers. 

In the world of bricks and sticks too often the customer leaves the store and slips away never to be seen again. There are of course methods of retaining that priceless connection, but is it done? Or better yet, has the clerk or sales representative done the job of building a relationship? 

The avenues of maintaining and building on our precious lists are varied, but in most cases, it is cheap and fast for repeat contact and additional profits online once we have established our initial contact. E-commerce affords us the opportunity of continued contact on each and every sale. 

A simple thank you, a follow up for service , or a request for referral helps build a loyalty. A simple request for grading of our product or service builds us a step closer to that next sale. This is the base for referrals, testimonies, that are used to build credibility for future marketing and to put the client into a permanent relationship on a mailing list. 

The bottom line is the need to be careful with each newly acquired contact, working to enhance the trust and confidence of this never seen customer. 

In doing this, the right to ask for more business is established. It is possible that a meaningful exchange can take place where a newly enlisted customer will want to do business again. Even before another order is requested. 

Once the sale is complete, the real sales work begins. 

Bottom line: 
It is more cost effective to retain customers than to acquire them.
Time to build plan of customer retention.