Communication Coach: Get reacquainted with customers to drive 2021 growth

January 5, 2021 - By Jeff Korhan

Photo: marchmeena29 / iStock / Getty Images / Getty Images Plus

The one certainty heading into 2021 is that your customer base has changed. Some customers may have already dropped off and those that remain will have new problems, and therefore, new aspirations.

Getting reacquainted with them is the only way to know for sure.

Take this time to reexamine their experience with your company. Make it a top priority to find out what’s on their minds, no matter how insignificant it may seem to be.

The question we are asking our clients right now is this: “If we could accomplish three things for you that will make 2021 our best year together, what would they be?”

Just asking that question sparks productive conversations. It shows that you are a professional, planning ahead and willing to do what’s necessary to earn their business.

To make the most of this exercise, compile the results and look for patterns. Here are some tips for setting up your process for doing that.

Audit the customer journey

Break your customer journey down into stages. The simplest is some version of beginning, middle and ending. Is it a new customer, a longtime customer or one that is expected to eventually move on?

Find the gaps for each customer category. Learn where expectations are falling short so that you can prioritize and focus on what matters most.

Are your communication methods adding value or undermining confidence in your services?
Are some of your practices becoming obsolete, possibly due to pandemic influenced changes?
Is it time to offer new services that customers are hearing about, such as robotic mowing?

Engage customers with video email

It’s best to get reacquainted with customers in a face-to-face visit or Zoom call. If you don’t have the bandwidth for that, there is an email video service that works beautifully for us at Landscape Digital Institute.

It’s Loom, a free video messaging service that embeds video into email. To be clear, it’s not a link to another channel but an actual click-to-play video. That’s what dramatically increases the click-through rate.

It’s a great way to deliver value because the content is easily and quickly consumed. Most of us roll our eyes and move on when we see a 200-word email, but we’ll watch a 90 second video to get the same message.

In a short video you can:

1. Express gratitude and a willingness to serve.
2. Get feedback on your company’s performance.
3. Introduce new product or service offerings.

No matter the size of your business, this is a surefire plan to set up 2021 for customer success.