Loyal clients are what you want! It doesn’t matter if you run a law firm, a podiatry practice, or another kind of business. Your loyal clients will come back to you in the future for guidance. They’ll leave positive reviews. They’ll tell their friends and family about you and keep sending all kinds of word-of-mouth referrals your way.
Every first-time client that you turn into a long-time client reduces the amount of work you have to do to keep your business successful for generations. But how do you retain loyal clients and constantly add to the number of happy people singing your praises and filling your appointment book? We’ll share our 5 best tips with you below.
1. Show That You Care About Their Long-Term Success
People generally choose lawyers and doctors only a few times in their lives. They’re likely to stick with you for decades if they have a good experience. If you can show that you care about them even after they’ve resolved their issues, they’ll feel good about their choice and be hesitant to switch.
I know business owners that have clients drive in from 2 hours away because they have that relationship of trust and don’t want to risk trying to find someone locally!
The good news is that it isn’t all that hard to show that you care. It can be a simple check-in email that goes out a few weeks after they’ve resolved an issue with your help. It can be a quick meeting to tie up loose ends and answer questions before they complete their recovery at home or move forward after the resolution of a case. Even a quick birthday card once a year can show that you still think about them and hope they’re doing well.
You may have tons of clients, but each of them sees you as the one person they can turn to for a specific kind of problem. If you show your investment in your clients’ success even after they leave your office, they’ll keep coming back to you and recommending you to other people that need help.
Here are some more ideas for showing love for the clients that love you.
2. Prioritize Your Client Support and Client Experience
This one should be a no-brainer. If you want to retain more clients and build more long-term relationships, they have to have a great experience with you the first time and every time. This is why it’s so important to look at the whole client experience, not just the experience they have when they’re sitting in your office or working with you personally.
What’s your intake process like? What happens if they have a question or problem? How’s the experience when they call your office or speak to an after-hours receptionist? What’s it like to visit your website or receive your email campaigns? How do they find out about your new services or offerings?
You want to create a cohesive brand experience, whether they’re engaging with you online or one on one. It’s also helpful to segment your existing clients into specific groups—for example, by demographics, type of service they received, or geographical location. This will help you target your contacts more specifically and offer a memorable client experience that is tailored to each group’s needs and interests.