It doesn't matter the market, the size of the company and the many realities: the impact of reputation and customer loyalty yield larger and better sales, in the same way as the value aggregation in premium products and services aimed at the most loyal segment to brands and companies
A company that wants to have loyal customers, loyalty must be understood internally from top to bottom – even by the doorman who greets a visitor warmly. Reputational benefits extend loyalty to all audiences, clients, suppliers, credit and investment institutions, press, resellers, service providers and so on
No one doubts that loyal customers are more profitable
In the first place, they exempt companies and brands from the enormous effort of attracting those who are still not adherents to their products and services. In second, because they have the potential to consume more and better than others, increasing results in volume and profitability
This is something everyone knows: loyal customers often become true ambassadors, expanding the reach of dissemination regarding brands and companies in an organic and qualified manner – mainly in times of social media dominance, where the recommendation or good rating is essential for consumers' purchasing decision
There comes the famous reputation
Companies with a good reputation sell more, make better deals, have a greater chance of succeeding in negotiations. Salespeople from well-regarded companies spend less time in waiting rooms, are received with greater attention and find it easier to talk to the various people who, one way or another, can play an important role at some point in the sales process, receipt of documents or resolution of pending issues
No one chooses a brand, product or service whose reputation is compromised
The issue is that to have a good reputation, it is necessary to excel in many areas, since she, the reputation, is built over a lifetime, piece by piece, like in a gigantic puzzle where one of them – perhaps the most subtle – it is a reflection of the quality of the relationship with clients and other audiences
Imagine a customer extremely satisfied with their purchase. The research prior to the acquisition showed a legion of worshippers. The sales and payment process you encountered was smooth, often with friendly people, polite and helpful professionals along the way. The timely delivery added an extra point of satisfaction. The use of the product, however, left some doubt and the client was led to get in touch, let's say, with technical assistance, where he encountered grumpy or impatient attendants; ready: plenty of reason to impact your appreciation for the transaction
It is of no use for the seller to be skilled in relationships, if over there the customer finds a dry service, cold, insensitive. As all these processes have reputational impact, it only takes one tip to fall for the brand, product, service or company losing points and perhaps being disregarded in a future acquisition
This also occurs internally with employees, exposed to an endless number of relationships. Buyers, funders and many other audiences go through the same script. The tone of the relationship should come from above, from the corporate top, and go down the hill to the doorman who greets a visitor warmly
Ready packages – magic solutions
When talking about relationship marketing, magical proposals for solutions often arise, expressed in programs many of which are inspired, напевно, in the old model of pizzerias, "buy 10 and get one free"
When this type of program was new, this model could actually work, but there was a brutal evolution and such programs became a business in themselves. The segment of companies specialized in the provision and exchange of points (or miles) accumulated with each purchase of products, services and air tickets, gathered under the Brazilian Association of Loyalty Market CompaniesABEMF), showed that its revenue reached R$ 5,2 billion in the first quarter of this year, 7,6% higher than in the same period of the previous year
The issue is that although programs of this type fit perfectly for companies with tens of millions of customers, such as airlines and cards (from where a good part of the companies specialized in the segment were born), they are certainly not suitable for those companies with different characteristics, especially in the b-to-b area
Each case is a unique case, there are no companies that are the same with identical realities, therefore relationship programs should be tailored. A pharmaceutical industry has market characteristics that have little to do with a factory of posts or another of hinges
Personalization
Without personalization, there is no way to talk about relationship marketing, whose practical application is not limited to well-crafted plays, but it depends on broad planning and a lot of discipline and contributing to ensure that the company as a whole is well-regarded and, with that, collaborate for the relationship to do your part in building the reputation
The infinite resources provided by information technology offer numerous alternatives for programs where personalization is present and the impact is guaranteed. But the use of these resources is not always necessary or advisable
An interesting example is that of a labor leasing consultancy that, among other well-studied activities, he took advantage of reading the day's newspapers to fish for facts related to his clients or the market in which the said individual operated. That done, a personal note was sent greeting the director of the client company. Other, a luxury car dealer, that commanded a simple pencil – this, a good quality pencil, but anyway a simple pencil – for high-income buyers with a note in the line "let's write beautiful stories together with your new Porsche"
Of course in the digital field, where data about customers is abundant, today, many of the barriers of technological costs have been broken down, there are practically no reasons not to use them to personalize the relationship, in addition to good shopping recommendations
Practice good relationships and encourage loyalty as one of the reputational pillars. The company's results will thank you
