It is much more expensive to obtain a new customer than it is to keep an existing one. The fact of the matter is, once a client has decided that they enjoy working with somebody, they start to develop a sense of mild loyalty. The amount of effort that it takes in order to switch services is more than most people are willing to make, and this works to your advantage as a business. Client retention is one of the most important aspects of running a solid business. If your company’s customer base has a revolving door, you will burn through the available market for your product, and it will become harder and harder to obtain new clients. This is why it is so important to have a customer retention system. Follow these sales tips in order to hang on to your existing customers.

1. Stay in regular contact with your existing customers.

You should have a list of you top customers that is at least ten to twenty-five people long. Get in touch with them at least four times a year. When it comes to your absolute best clients, depending one what business you are in, you might even want to meet up with them for dinner on occasion. Research shows that customers tend to place just as much importance on regular contact as they do on the service itself, depending on what business you are in. The same goes for getting your company name in front of them on a regular basis.

2. Give your current customers good deals.

Many companies use deals to attract new customers, but then fail to continue offering them in the long run. Remember, other companies are still targeting your customers with deals. Client retention is much easier if you offer your customers the best deal.

3. Showing customer appreciation

It is a good idea to occasionally surprise your customers with gifts, deals, and other unexpected bonuses that they don’t need to do anything for. They will appreciate it.

4. Customer contact and management

Set up a database to keep track of your current customers. It is surprising how many small businesses don’t do this. How can you do anything to work on customer retention if you don’t know who your customers are?

5. Understand your customer’s needs

Talk with your current customers in order to better understand their needs. This is less about trying to upsell them on something as it is to understand what they need to stay happy as a customer. A bonus of this is that it will help you offer better service to future customers as well.