A single sale with one customer rarely makes or breaks a business in itself. Since a company may regularly handle dozens or thousands of transactions every day, it can be tempting to underestimate the power of one transaction. Whatever amount of money each customer spends at one time with a business, everyone carries the potential to make a profound, lasting impact on the success of that business.
Sometimes, one transaction can alter the course of a company and catapult it into stellar success, or plunge it into doom. Everyday sales do not normally have this immediate effect. Yet one satisfied customer is likely to return to patronize a business regularly. This repeat of transactions accumulates over time as a steady stream of income, much like an annuity.
The advantage of regular customers who support a business is that, as long as these people are pleased with the service and/or products they receive, the business does not have to put forth much more advertising or effort to obtain this continuous flow. Ideally, one customer will act as a marketer through referrals, word-of-mouth comments, or online reviews, creating more demand for what the business has to offer. This potentially leads to new customers, increased sales, and more satisfied customers who will start their own repeated purchase and advertising cycle without extra cost to the business.
Direct marketing, which involves seeking out and interacting with potential clients on a personal level, is typically costly in terms of time and resources. Satisfied customers do this instinctively as they share their positive experiences with a business. They are not only supporting your business with their sales, but they are also freely amplifying your marketing reach.
The power of compounding customer satisfaction builds a business, and its opposite can tear a business down. A dissatisfied customer can impact the bottom line like a debt that amasses untold high-interest costs over time. This customer carries a negative perspective that sways him or her away from the business, a viewpoint that they may share with acquaintances and online. Consequently, the business loses out on the displeased customer’s money — and the money of potential customers influenced by them.
To help encourage every customer to be an asset, businesses need to ensure that each employee is aware of the company’s mission and their part in fulfilling it. Leaders should exemplify and keep these ideals before their staff:
- to grow the business by satisfying every customer, one by one,
- to surpass customer expectations by providing the highest quality service and products, and
- to do all that is possible never to disappoint a customer.