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A Great Example of
How to Get Repeat Customers
During
a recent holiday break the family and I went to a great hotel. With 4 young
kids the attraction was that the facilities were all-inclusive so constant
requests for ice-creams etc were not a problem! So what was so great about
it?
Well
I’m always on the look out for examples of great and poor business models
and ideas, so here’s the key thing that stood out … the huge number of
people who had been there before. One couple I spoke to had been there for
the last seven years in a row with their children.
For
the hotel and any other business getting repeat customers like this is akin
to striking gold – no marketing or recruitment costs – just pure profit. And
no doubt their clients spread the word amongst their friends so again no
marketing cost for the hotel.
What
was this hotel doing right that you can apply to your business to encourage
repeat business?
1.
It’s a very child-friendly hotel - leave your kids at the Kids Club which
had activities all day. They have spotted that family-oriented hotels will
always have an edge, so they built the business and customer experience
around that idea. They have spotted a niche and do everything they can to
satisfy that market. Result? My kids loved it so much it’s clear that this
is the only place they want to go. The hotel has done its job!
2.
They make it feel like home – as we drove through the hotel gates the driver
who picked us up from the airport said ‘Welcome home!’ Just think, even the
lowly driver knew that the hotel’s philosophy is to make sure everyone feels
they belong to a big family. How good are your employees at passing on your
core message or values?
3.
Staff recognized and warmly greeted repeaters – in many cases staff clearly
knew people’s names and as a minimum recognized faces. They treated these
people as long lost friends. How do your employees treat regular clients?
Warmly or with indifference?
4.
They create a feeling of community – repeat clients get tee-shirts with the
hotel name and year printed on it and people wore them with pride. Not my
personal taste but it clearly made most people feel very happy. The children
were not forgotten either. Every activity they took part in at the Kids Club
was rewarded with a points voucher which could be redeemed at the hotel
shop. Do you give gifts to repeat customers by way of a thank you?
5.
They reward repeaters with a 10% discount – a great way to encourage people
to come back and another way of saying ‘thanks for your business’. Do you
offer repeat business discounts?
6. And
finally, all backed up with great food and great service.
These
are all simple things which you can introduce very quickly to any business.
Getting repeat business is a powerful way to boost sales and profits so
starting thinking about how you can encourage customers to become life-long
customers.
Robert Warlow
Small Business
Success
http://www.smallbusinesssuccess.biz
Robert runs a number of websites focusing on ideas and tips for small
businesses, and people running online businesses. Check out his websites for
free newsletters, e-books and articles:
http://www.smallbusinesssuccess.biz ,
http://www.smallbusinessloansecrets.com ,
http://www.marketingtipsandideas.com and
http://www.internetmarketingtipsandideas.com
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