Information is power. It is also the key to effective customer retention, because if you really know your customers you can give them the service and respect they deserve. But unless you have a photographic memory (or a really small client list), you will not be able to discover and track everything there is to know about your clients. Here are a few things you can do that will help.

Gather demographic information

Gender, age, marital status, hobbies, income, business type, and shoe size can all be relevant details you use to create targeted communications and offers that wow your customers. If you don’t already have this information, you can gather it though questionnaires or through database appending services such as Dunn & Bradstreet.

Track customer data and behaviors

There is no way you can remember everything about your customers without a good system for keeping notes. A good customer database or customer relationship management (CRM) system will allow you to track demographics, interests, past purchases, behaviors, and more.

Conduct Surveys

Send out an email survey to help you gather valuable data from your customers. You will discover their interests, how they feel about your service, what products they may be searching for, and much more. This information will help you address individual needs and also give you a “big picture” glimpse of how you’re doing.

Listen to your customers

The best way to develop better relationships with your customers is to solicit their feedback. If your clients are local, you can host a live customer appreciation event, whereas if you have a larger list of customers, you can hold a virtual event, social media gathering, or other creative avenue to interact with customers.

When you know your customers, they’ll respond with their loyalty. And that’s what it’s all about. Let me know how you feel about this subject…leave your comments below!