Turn buyer’s remorse into client loyalty by increasing your connection with your customers.
Did you ever drive off the car lot in your brand new car only to get home and think why did I spend so much money? Have you ever clicked submit on your credit card for that fabulous getaway in Fiji and ten minutes later wonder why did I do that? That’s buyer’s remorse.
Buyer’s remorse is what your customer feels every time they pay for your product or service. If your goal is to keep the customer coming back, then you’ll want to help your customer get through that remorse so they are happy with the choice they made.
Handling buyer’s remorse is at the heart of customer experience expert Joey Coleman’s new book Never Lose a Customer Again: Turn Any Sale into Lifelong Loyalty in 100 Days. If you have a chance, read the book. If you get a chance to see the Grammy-nominated Coleman conduct a workshop or give a talk on the subject, make sure to take notes.
The difference between business and repeat business is all about how you handle your customer relationship to make them feel great about spending money with you. While Coleman covers the whole 8-step customer journey in his book, here are four areas where you can specifically tackle buyer’s remorse.
Affirm their decision
Affirmation in sales is all about making someone feel good about their decision to spend money. The moment a customer pays your company is the point where you and your customer are furthest apart in feelings. While you’re popping champagne and cashing their check, your customer is starting to question the wisdom of spending money with you. The larger the expenditure, the more the remorse.
For some cash interactions, like buying a hot dog at Dodgers Stadium or renting a jet ski in Hawaii, this could be the last time the customer interacts with you. For other companies, this is the time to start making a lifetime customer. This is the time to reach out, make a call, write a letter, or send a video. You need to keep in touch with the customer about their purchase and assure them you are there to help, remind them when it will arrive, and anything else to show you haven’t abandoned them once you have their money.
Activate their loyalty
The activation stage is when your customer first uses your product or service. The first time could be days, weeks, or months after they paid. In this time, you have hopefully helped affirm their decision. But what will you do now that the customer has the product?
Some companies reach out with an email once they know the product is delivered or the service is activated. But can you go further to make this contact more personal? Could you send a letter? Would you make a phone call to see how things went? This is how you create monster loyalty.
Acclimate them to your business
The acclimation stage is where you guide customers on how to use your product or service. No one wants to admit they’re confused. This is the point where you need to hold the customer’s hand, predict their pain points, and help them learn how to use the product or service.
Companies can acclimate in different ways. Apple has stores with genius bars for individual guidance and offers workshops for groups. Salesforce provides training at your company location, sends mentors to answer questions, and provides guidance through live video talks. Canadian software company PolicyMedical creates a beautiful puzzle customers could assemble after completing each milestone in the installation process.
Accomplish the goal together
In the accomplish stage, your customer has completed the process they started when they paid for your product or service. They have installed the software, customized it, and made their database searchable to the web. They have bought your mobile phone, made a call, and uploaded a photo to a friend. Is your journey over now the customer has successfully used your product?
If you wish to make the customer feel they made a wise purchasing decision, you can continue the journey. Some companies send a cake and balloons for the company to celebrate a software installation. Other companies might send an email card or a video to thank the person for purchasing the product.
If you want to help your customer through their buyer’s remorse, these are just a few ideas of what you can do. You will never prevent someone from having buyer’s remorse, but how you handle that remorse will determine if they spend money with your company again.