5 Habits That Drive Customers Away
Updated: Jul 22, 2022
You have your brand nailed down; you know what you're selling and how to sell it. But what about the people who you expect to buy it? Are they happy with the experience or ready to walk away?
In a business world where the competition is fierce, the customer has to be kept happy in order to keep them coming back for more. But it often takes more than just providing a good product or service.
You need to pay attention to how your customer feels when they're with you — and what drives them away.
In today's post, we'll look at five common habits of companies that drive customers away and what you can do about them if you're guilty of these yourself.
Not Listening to Customers
Customers don't just want your product or service; they want to be heard.
The most successful businesses are those that listen to their customers. They are the ones who understand their needs and wants and can deliver them in a way that makes them feel appreciated and valued.
You may think that you know what your customers want, but the truth is that most of us only have a vague idea of what our customers need, especially if we haven't been in touch with them for a while.
In order to keep your business running smoothly, it's important to keep an ear out for what your customers are saying about you.
Here are some ways to improve customer service:
Ask for feedback on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
Get involved in online forums where people gather to talk about your products or services — this can give you valuable insights into how they feel about them
Keep track of any negative comments or reviews online; if there are any problems with a certain product or service, make sure you address it immediately
You might not satisfy every customer, but you should at least be aware when there are issues with your product or service. If you ignore those complaints, then you'll never know how to fix the problem and improve your business.
Being Too Sales-y and Pushy
What do you think of when you hear the word "salesy?"
If you're like most people, it's not a positive thing. In fact, being too salesy is one of the top reasons customers leave a business. At times, it's hard to avoid being salesy, especially since your business depends on selling something. But there are ways to do it without driving away customers — and it all starts with understanding what makes someone feel pressured.
The Problem with Being Too Sales-y
When it comes to customer service, many businesses think selling is the answer. They make sure their employees know how important it is to get their customers to buy more stuff. After all, the more they sell, the more money they make! But this kind of thinking can cause problems when it comes time for customers to actually place an order.
When salespeople are too pushy or forceful with potential buyers, they can give off a negative vibe that pushes people away from making a purchase in the first place — or even worse, turning them off completely from ever doing business with your company again!
Being Rude or Unprofessional
This one may seem obvious, but people do it all the time.
Being rude or unprofessional is not just a bad business habit, it's also an indication that you don't care about your customers.
If you're ever tempted to be rude to someone, think back to why they're asking you questions. Chances are they want something from you. If they're asking questions, they're probably doing so because they want to buy from you.
If you treat them like dirt and ignore their questions, what do you think will happen? They'll get angry and leave frustrated.
Or worse, they'll tell all their friends how rude and unhelpful your company was and advise them not to buy from you either! And next time someone asks them a question about your product or service, they might answer back with something like: "Don't ask me — I don't rock with them at all."
In other words, treating customers poorly will cost you money in the long run!
Remember, your customers are dealing with stress and frustration all day long. When you treat them poorly, it only adds to their stress level.
If you want customers to come back again and again, don't just focus on providing good service — make sure you're being polite and respectful as well!
Failing to Deliver on Promises
One common cause of customer churn is failing to deliver on promises. This can be anything from a poor product or service experience to not providing timely support.
A core part of delivering an outstanding customer experience is making sure that your company delivers on its promises. Customers will forgive a lot, but they won't forgive if you don't deliver on what you promise.
In the event that you fail to deliver on a promise, here are some steps you can take to rectify the situation:
Apologize for the mistake and explain what happened. Be sincere and honest about what happened and how it came about.
Don't make excuses for yourself or blame others for what happened. Nobody likes a person who blames others for mistakes they've made themselves, so own up to it and apologize sincerely instead of trying to shift blame elsewhere.
Explain how you plan to fix the problem as soon as possible — even if it means offering refunds or compensation for delays in order to make things right again quickly (and keep customers happy).
When you make promises, follow through on them. If you say you’ll call by 5 p.m., then do so. If you say you’ll get back to someone by Tuesday, then do so. If you say, “We’ll take care of that right away!” then do so.
These seemingly small things can make all the difference in how people perceive your brand and your business.
Not Providing Good Customer Service
Customer service is a crucial component of the overall customer experience, if not the most important part of running a business. You can have the best product, but if you don't offer good customer service, your customers will not stay loyal to your brand.
The customer experience is everything. In fact, according to a study by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), "32% of all customers would stop doing business with a brand they loved after one bad experience."
The first step to finding out what drives your customers away is to look at your business from the customer's point of view. What do they like? What can you do to improve your business experience for them?
If you're not sure where to start, some common ones are:
Poorly trained staff members
Unhelpful staff members
Long wait times when calling or visiting
Poorly managed online presence and social media accounts
Forgetting about loyal customers
Not thanking customers for their business or referrals
The Takeaway
In today's world, there are plenty of great alternatives to your business available, so if a customer has a bad experience with your business, it's important to know about it so you can fix issues before they turn into bigger problems.
Every business wants to keep customers happy, but sometimes it takes more than providing a good product or service.
Running a successful business takes many things, and customer retention strategy is one of them. That's probably why most marketing strategies include customer retention in the mix.
It just makes sense to make the most of your resources instead of continually rebuilding your customer base. It's also easier to keep a current consumer than it is to find a new one, and since word of mouth is an effective method for winning new customers, once you win over a loyal consumer, you'll likely have more opportunities to win more like them.
