How do you turn loyal guests into raving fans? While we’d like to think all our guests are loyal to us and would never dream of leaving, that’s not the case. Your guests are always in a state of movement. Your goal is to create an incredible experience that makes your guests want to return and tell their friends! You want them to become raving fans. Your guests will cycle with you as you develop a relationship with them. We call this the Client Loyalty Cycle.
CLIENT LOYALTY CYCLE
The Client Loyalty Cycle breaks down the stages your guests can move through as they spend time with you. Your guests may not reach every single point in the cycle; some might jump levels, and others may get stuck in a position for an extended period. Think of the Client Loyalty Cycle as a pyramid. Here’s what it looks like:
Raving Fans
At the top of the pyramid are your Raving Fans. These guests should comprise of at least 5-10% of your client base. This group thinks you hung the moon and stars. They’re the ones who will do anything for you, including referring friends and strangers. They are responsible for at least half of your first-time clients. You should reward and acknowledge them regularly because they feed new clients into your funnel.
Loyal Guests
At the next level are your Loyal Guests. They should make up 15-20% of your client base. This level is your loyal fan base. These guests will come back again and again because they like you. You can move to the other side of town, and they’ll follow you because they have an emotional connection with you. Don’t get the service perfect, and they’ll forgive you. Take a vacation, and they won’t book with anyone else.
Clients
The third level is your general Clients. They should make up 20-50% of your client base. These guests like you and what you do for them, but they can be taken away if you’re not careful. They may leave you for another business because of pricing, location, service, etc.
First-time Clients
The fourth level is your First-time Clients. First-time Clients should make up 10-15% of your client base. These guests are in to see you for the first time. They might have found you on social media, in an ad, or from a referral. No matter how they find you, you should create a fantastic experience that will make them want to return.
Former Guests
The fifth level is your Former Guests. They typically make up 10-20% of your client base. Some losses are unavoidable – some clients move, others are never satisfied, and some may not like your prices or services. While you can’t control why everyone leaves, you want to manage your guest’s experience and provide them with Legendary Customer Service to keep as many guests as possible. You can read more about Legendary Customer Service in this blog post.
Prospective Clients
The last level is your Prospective Clients. Everyone you know and meet is a prospective guest. This category is so important that you should always be ready to prospect new guests. Use every opportunity you can to tell people what you do!
IDENTIFYING YOUR IDEAL RAVING FAN
The goal of a raving fan is to have them tell everyone else about you. They love you and your services so much that they can’t wait to tell anyone and everyone they meet. They’re like a walking billboard for you. If you’re still working to build your client base with people you love, not every guest who comes to see you will be your ideal raving fan. It’s essential to think about your guests, who you love, and which clients you’d want to have more people like. Defining that will show you who your ideal raving fan is.
CREATE RAVING FANS
Your ultimate goal is to turn as many ideal guests as possible into raving fans. But how do you move a guest through the Client Loyalty Cycle to become a raving fan? Here are three ways you can start creating raving fans.
Provide an Unforgettable Experience
Your guests aren’t just coming in for the service you provide but for the experience. It’s about the relationship you build. It’s how you make them feel. Treat your return guests as well as you treat a first-time guest. Don’t get too comfortable with your guests when you take advantage of their loyalty. Create an unforgettable experience they’ll want to tell everyone else about.
Create Referral Programs
It’s essential to ask your guests for referrals, but a great way to create raving fans is to reward them for referring new people. There are different ways you can reward your guests. Here are some ideas! You can reward them for every person they send in or do a more significant gift when they send in a certain number of people. You can do a referral contest where their name goes into a drawing for a gift basket with every person they refer, or you can do a referral contest where the person who sends in the most referrals gets a series of free services. The options are endless. You need to make sure your rewards balance with the effort.
Host Exclusive Events
Who doesn’t love to be celebrated?! Host a guest event exclusive for your raving fans to show your appreciation. The event can be a single day, a week, or a month. Consider including free mini services, product promotions, giveaways, food, and beverages. The event can be anything you want; it’s ultimately up to your imagination and resources.
THE CHALLENGE
Identify which of your current guests you want your raving fans to be. Then, pick one of the ways to start creating raving fans!
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