7 Ways to Gain Lifelong Customers after Making a Sale

What’s the most important part of a thriving business?

For most, it’s sales.

If you have enough customers, even poorly run companies can still profit. Of course, making sales isn’t always easy.

In fact, it can take several touchpoints with a prospect before they are ready to buy from you.

For almost all businesses, retaining a customer is far easier (and cheaper) than getting a new one. Research has shown that even small lifts in retention can substantially increase profitability.

Loyal customers have a huge lifetime value because they’ll buy from you repeatedly. In fact, Khoros notes that 83% of people feel more loyal to brands that acknowledge complaints and resolve the issue.

Here’s another revelation — loyal customers can increase their dollar value up to ten times more than the initial purchase.

That’s why gaining customer trust—and keeping it after a purchase—is so important.

And yet, most businesses have massive holes in their customer service.

They spend so much time optimizing their conversion rate for the initial purchase that they forget to spend any real time optimizing what happens after the sale.

This leads to frequent mediocre—or even bad—experiences when things go wrong (which they do on occasion).

A Zendesk study of consumers found that just one bad customer experience can cause a large share of consumers to avoid buying again from that brand.

Most of those bad experiences are preventable.

But most businesses don’t realize that it’s not just the complaining customers who didn’t have good experiences.

According to Dunvegan Group research, even customers who feel satisfied with their purchase will sometimes switch to a competitor later.

So, not only do poor customer experiences decrease loyalty, but “average” ones still send many of your customers to competitors to “see what else is out there.”

If you haven’t thought seriously about how your customer experience after the sale affects trust and loyalty: it’s time.

For the rest of this post, we’ll show you the seven keys to keeping customer trust and gaining their loyalty. 

1. Does it really need to be said?

The leading reason customers leave a brand is that the product or service didn’t meet expectations.

Multiple studies show that when quality falls short, customers stop buying.

Your number one priority is to improve how you address complaints—and to solve the root cause so the same issue doesn’t happen again.

Do everything you can to make sure your customers are happy.

Resolving problems with a process: Millions of dollars have been spent on learning how to resolve customer issues effectively.

If you do a good job addressing a problem, you can still win that customer’s loyalty if the problem was caused by an accident—not negligence.

If you do research, you’ll find many different customer resolution models, all with their own clever acronyms: HEART, LAST, etc.

But despite different letters, they all describe the same main stages:

When a customer comes to you or anyone on your team with a complaint, they should be met with the following:

• Apologizing – You must try to give every customer the best experience possible. If something goes wrong, a simple apology goes a long way. People can be pretty understanding when you sound like a person, not a corporation.
• Solving – First, ask the customer how they’d like the problem to be solved. Or offer your own solutions for them to choose from. Go above and beyond here to maximize your chances of retaining that customer.

Call your own process whatever you like, but it should contain those four elements at the very least (in a similar order).

The two best ways to encourage customers to speak up: Here’s something that might surprise you. The average business only hears from a small fraction of dissatisfied customers.

That means you’ll never hear from the vast majority of unhappy customers.

That’s a problem.

You can double or triple your feedback rate by making support effortless and obvious.

Some companies hide their customer service contact information or force customers to dig through irrelevant documentation first.

Don’t do that.

Display customer service contact information clearly on your website and in any emails or letters you send customers.

You want to hear from them if they have any complaints. That’s your best chance of fixing the problem and keeping a customer.

Yes, hiring an extra customer service rep might cost you more, but you’ll make far more in the long run from the customers you retain.

Don’t be shortsighted.

The type of contact also plays a role.

A study found that most people prefer to talk with a real person when they have a problem.

This means the best option is to have a toll-free phone number.

On top of that, offer a couple of other contact methods for those who don’t like the phone.

The most complementary method, in our opinion, is to add live chat to your website—especially for anything software-based.

Both options should be easy to find. Take a look at how HostGator displays its contact information as you hover over the contact tab:

What about email? Email should absolutely be available. The study we mentioned found that many people like using email, especially for issues that aren’t urgent.

Usually, people use email for non-pressing issues. But if a big problem needs fixing, they want to talk to someone immediately.

If you offer email support, ensure customers don’t wait a week before they hear back from you. They should receive a response within a day, even if it’s a helpful interim update.

Go beyond the minimum – follow up: When someone calls about a problem, they’re often frustrated, angry, or annoyed. They’re emotional, and it shows.

This is good because many people won’t tell you their problems unless they’re emotional enough.

But after the initial complaint, most will calm down. Even if your initial solution didn’t help much, they aren’t very likely to tell you about it.

That’s a BIG problem. Because if they aren’t thrilled with your solution, you’ve lost their loyalty.

You need to follow up with every single customer that makes a complaint.

Here’s an example of how Groove followed up with a customer who was having trouble integrating X (Twitter) with their software:

They received a response from the customer saying that they got busy and forgot about the problem.

If they forget about the problem, they forget about your product and won’t buy from you again.

Take the time to follow up and see if your customer is thrilled with your solution. If they aren’t, encourage them to contact you again and make it easy to continue the conversation.

Tip: Follow up the same way they contacted you. If they emailed you initially, send them an email follow-up. If they call you, give them a call.

2. Learn to be a psychic for your customers

What if you could anticipate customer complaints?

Then, you could take action to minimize the number of complaints and bad experiences.

Many complaints happen because customers don’t fully understand what they’re buying.

It may be because the sales page is unclear or the customer assumes too much.

Either way, the customer doesn’t get what they expected.

If you think you’re ordering an iPad and getting a Surface tablet instead, you will be rightfully annoyed.

So, how do you prevent this from happening?

Answer key questions before a customer buys. If they still want to buy after any misconceptions are cleared up, they’re far more likely to have a great experience.

Remember that it’s never just one potential customer with a question. So, even if you only get one or two complaints about a specific issue, it could mean several other customers have the same problem.

You can eliminate many bad experiences by adding a simple FAQ (frequently asked questions) section to your sales page.

For example, here’s what you see on Leadpages’ FAQ page:

Another example of a great FAQ: You can tell an FAQ is strong because it answers the questions hesitant buyers actually have.

Good FAQs will improve your conversion rate and provide all the necessary details to help potential customers clearly understand the product—improving their overall experience.

Nathan Barry sells a course about building an audience and product called Authority.

On his landing page, he includes these FAQs:

He offers multiple packages, and we could see how a visitor might initially not understand that.

They come across the packages on the landing page one by one, like this:

By answering “Which package should I buy?” in the FAQ, Nathan clarifies that there are indeed multiple packages, and some are better suited to certain buyers than others.

This prevents someone from accidentally clicking the first Buy button they see, thinking they’re all the same, only to realize they bought the wrong product.

If they contact you, this is easy to fix, but many won’t. Instead, they’ll feel disappointed and possibly misled—and Nathan won’t get their loyalty.

3. There’s nothing worse than feeling used

Everyone knows this feeling, and everyone hates it.

Let’s say someone pays you a ton of attention, so you naturally think they like you. Then, as soon as they get something from you, they stop paying any attention.

That is, until they need something again in the future.

Don’t let your business be this guy.

Your relationship with prospects and customers is a relationship. It goes beyond just getting money in exchange for your products.

They need to know your primary desire isn’t just to make money but to improve their lives and the lives of others like them.

Think about the brands you support the most. You likely do that because they seem to care about the people involved in their work, their customers, and the world at large.

Tesla, for example, positions itself around developing environment-friendly technology to help the world—not just to make a quick buck.

You can create a similar image of your business in the minds of your customers.

It starts with giving more than you take.

Be mindful of what your sales pitches look like. Every smart marketer today does most selling through email marketing.

When promoting a product via email, you’ll typically create a sales sequence.

This is a series of emails that give details about your product, provide case studies, and tackle objections your subscribers might have.

The problem is that it often turns into a pitch fest:

A business will aggressively send emails with the intent to sell the product (offer emails).

During this cycle, which can last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, a marketer might send an average of one email daily.

By the end, some percentage of subscribers will buy the product.

But what happens to the emails? They stop.

At the very least, they don’t come nearly as often.

Here’s what the new customer sees:

• They’re sending lots of emails about how this product can solve my problem
• They make a good case
• Okay, it seems like they’re really interested in helping, so I’ll buy it
• …(two weeks later and zero communication or one email)
• Oh…they just wanted my money

And that’s how you instantly lose a customer for life.

If you send many emails right before someone buys something and then go quiet, your customer will feel used.

Instead, continue sending emails that offer free solutions to related problems, onboarding tips, and ways to get more value from what they just bought.

This is, in essence, content marketing.

For example, Ramit Sethi founded the seven-figure business I Will Teach You To Be Rich.

He promoted his course Zero to Launch to his email list.

Guess what happened after he closed the course? He went right back to sending valuable free content:

Let’s take a second to see how a customer feels in this case.

Ramit promises that his course could greatly impact your life and that it’s truly good for you.

You believe him and buy it.

Instead of dropping off communication, he delivers the product and continues sending free information to help you solve other problems.

That gives the impression it’s not just about the money for him. It shows he cares about continually providing value so you can improve your life.

4. Support before moving forward

After you get a new customer, one of the worst things you can do is stop communicating with them. We just saw that.

There’s another big mistake to avoid: promoting another product before they’ve even received the first one.

When someone buys a product, they’re trading their money for your product.

If they purchased online, they may not get that product for a while. Usually, that’s at least a few days if it’s a physical product.

At this point, they’ve given up money but got nothing in return, which makes them feel like you owe them something—because you do.

If you ask them to buy additional products at this stage, they’ll think you don’t care whether they get what they’re owed. It looks like you only care about squeezing more money from them.

It’s a great way to lose a customer.

To illustrate: if someone asked you to lend them money and then came back the next week asking for more without repaying the first loan, how would you feel?

Most people would be offended, angry, or annoyed.

The takeaway: Take care of every aspect of the customer’s order before moving them on to any future products.

A good friend always checks in – As someone who has sold both products and services, we love seeing how they improve customers’ lives.

It’s a very rewarding part of business, and we hope you enjoy it too.

All you need to do is show this interest—show that you care.

Check in with your customer after an appropriate amount of time (enough to receive and at least try the product).

One company that does this is Dell, a computer company. Two to three weeks after a computer is supposed to be delivered, a customer service rep will call the customer to check in.

The main purpose is to ensure the computer arrives without big issues. This is also a great way to surface more complaints you normally wouldn’t hear about.

Another example is Prograde, a supplement company.

In an email following an order, they encourage you to contact them if you have any problems at all.

5. Case studies aren’t just for selling

Regardless of whether someone just bought something or is considering buying, you want them thinking one thing:

If I buy this, I’m making a good decision. It’ll make me happy.

Many factors influence that feeling, but more than anything else, people want to see the results others achieved.

Showcasing happy customers in your case studies reassures new buyers they probably made a smart decision instead of feeling buyer’s remorse.

The better someone feels after buying, the more likely they are to buy again.

You build loyalty by delivering a good feeling.

Of course, case studies are also powerful sales tools that can significantly impact conversion rate.

They help in two ways: they provide proof and they show the “how.”

Again, Ramit is a great example.

Near the end of his sales cycle, he sent an email showcasing different customers who bought and were now doing great:

He had about 10 different mini-case studies in that email.

We strongly recommend using case studies in your content marketing and sales process. They’re among the most effective tools to build trust with readers.

6. If you do one thing, do this…

All the things we’ve talked about so far deal with fixing mistakes.

And you should do them.

But there’s one thing we haven’t addressed yet…

How do businesses stay profitable even when making these mistakes?

Sure, they could profit more, but they’re doing okay as it is.

The answer: they have a good product.

And if you have a great product, the other things we’ve looked at don’t matter as much. When your product is truly great, customers still have a good experience—even if something else is slightly off.

Most importantly, if your product is markedly better than competitors’, customers have little reason to leave.

Even if they try a competitor, they’ll quickly see your solution is superior and come back.

Deliver on your promises: Anyone can make a product sound great. The question is: can you deliver?

A great example of making big promises is Kopywriting Kourse, a very popular course on copywriting.

On the landing page, the creator breaks down all the course modules.

Anyone can claim they have awesome tricks and techniques, but actually delivering them is another thing.

Without buying the course, that’s about as sure as you can be that he’ll deliver on his promises.

You can deliver in different ways: You may be unable to standardize some aspects of your product or service.

A good example is Nathan Barry’s Authority course, which we looked at earlier.

In one package, he offers a one-on-one call on top of everything else he promises.

All the books and tutorials are easy to deliver. He can have those sent automatically—fixed products.

However, the phone call isn’t.

If you promise something that can vary, like a phone call, you must exceed expectations.

A potential customer will expect to schedule the call in a reasonable timeframe—say, within a week or two of buying—and expect a full hour.

There are three main scenarios for delivering the phone call, with wildly different outcomes. 

Let’s look at these hypothetical scenarios:

1. Nathan delivers slowly – It takes months to schedule. The customer can easily find better service elsewhere next time. Nathan didn’t deliver here.
2. Nathan delivers as expected – This is okay, and many customers will be happy.
3. Nathan exceeds expectations – He schedules the call whenever is convenient for the customer (even within a few days of buying) and spends an extra 30 minutes with them.

The last option costs him 30 extra minutes, but that’s how you blow a customer away.

Now they’ll trust you no matter what because you didn’t just fulfill your promises—you exceeded them. Those 30 minutes can lead to thousands of dollars of future revenue.

The takeaway: Make big promises about your products—and make sure your product meets those expectations. If possible, go above and beyond.

7. Everyone wants to feel special

Rewarding customers is one of the most effective ways to increase loyalty.

If you give your customers something extra, they’ll often feel a bit indebted to you—thanks to the reciprocity principle.

Some repay that by telling others how great your products are; others do it by being loyal customers. Either way, a small investment upfront can really pay off.

Your options depend heavily on your specific business, but here are four main types of rewards you can offer.

Example #1 – Exclusive offers: No one likes being pitched to—unless it’s an actually amazing opportunity only they get.

ProFlowers is one of many online flower shops.

They send out massive discount offers around big occasions, but only for returning customers.

For most customers, getting this offer feels like a gift since they know they’ll buy flowers anyway. This saves them money and deepens loyalty.

In the future, they’ll have no reason to go elsewhere when they need to order flowers.

Example #2 – Loyalty programs: A loyalty program can be a great way to retain customers if you sell frequently re-ordered products.

The most common and successful examples are fast food places. Every purchase is a chance to earn rewards, which you can claim via an app.

Online stores also take advantage of this type of program.

Example #3 – Bonus events: Any free thing you can offer customers is good—especially when it’s tied to loyalty.

For example, e.l.f. has tiered benefits that link to customer loyalty:

This gives customers a visual reference of the value return of their loyalty.

Example #4 – Samples: You can also reward customers by surprising them with free samples (if possible in your niche).

For example, if you purchase from Sephora, they’ll send you a sample of your choice:

Even though the samples aren’t worth much, customers like them—which increases loyalty.

Find any way you can to show customers you really appreciate their business.

That’s how you make them feel special and earn their loyalty.

Conclusion

It’s true that making a sale is difficult.

But once you do, your work doesn’t end there.

If you want to maximize the value of a new customer, you need to convert them into a loyal, repeat customer.

You must show that you deserve their trust and loyalty to do that.

We’ve shown you the seven main keys to building customer trust and loyalty after a sale, which you can use immediately.

Start with one or two, then layer in the rest over time—and keep measuring how each change affects customer happiness and repeat purchases.