The foremost reason high percentage of new businesses fail is because those companies are trying to create demand where there isn’t any, or they're built around untested ideas that are hardly pushed to attract even a small sampling of customers.
Test and start small and build your product, service or value proposition around the wants, needs and desires of your target customer. When you get a better understanding of customer needs, you’ll be able to identify innovative ways to solve their problems and exceed their expectations.
Personalize loyalty programs. Plus, you need to show the value of it and continually demonstrate that value to your team. Train your staff. Use periodic training sessions to help give your team the skills that are necessary to boost your company’s reputation, trust, empathy, flexibility and verbal communication proficiency
New customers are critical to growth but you must ensure that existing customers get VIP treatment as well. Nothing is poorer for loyal customers than to see products or services they bought at full price discounted to entice new customers. You can turn this around by offering exclusive loyalty programs, deals or specials geared specifically to your best and most loyal customers.
Be logical about your feature set. That's an easy feature to create, and a critical one to have. If you want your customers to really love you, include only the features they need, and don't leave any out.
Always stay connected with your customers. While the frequency may vary, every customer should receive an off-line touch at least once per quarter and, with an email or e-newsletter, even more often. For instance, once a week with an opt-in message may do the trick. Over time, you can develop a relationship with your customers, especially if your touches are information or educationally-oriented and are designed to add value to their experience with you, rather than just as a mechanism for pushing products or services.