BIRD WILLIAMS: You’re listening to Bird Means Business Episode 46.

Hello Hello and welcome to the Bird Means Business podcast. I'm so glad you're here. I'm so glad that you're taking time out of your busy day, your busy schedule to tune in and I know it will not disappoint. You're going to hear all about how to sustain growth in your business through customer retention. It's going to be good and I'm really excited because I'm actually introducing a month-long series called, “Your Questions Answered”. Yeah, I was on Instagram, in the stories. I just kind of asked, “Hey, What are some different topics that you'd want to hear on the podcast? What are some of your pain points or challenges that you have?” And I got such great responses so if you aren't connected with me on Instagram yet, it's @hebirdwilliams on Instagram. Go there because I'm always asking for feedback. You could always shoot me a DM to kind of let me know what you want to hear. But I'm really excited about this because y'all. Nothing makes me happier than actually answering real questions and helping you take a step forward. Giving you ideas and things to think about is exciting because I don't want to just talk at you. I want this to be a real conversation. So, again, never hesitate to reach out to me if you have questions or, you know, a topic that I could really address here on the show. I love that. 

So this month is all about answering those questions that I got through that Instagram story feedback. I'm excited about it. And I'll also make sure to keep, you know, who asked the question anonymous, of course. But I will say that this episode about sustaining growth through customer retention came from a powerhouse business owner who has this incredible community of world changers, and some of them run businesses and struggle with this area of customer retention. So again, I'm super excited to be able to address this here on the show. 

Okay, so I want to say, real quick, you might be thinking, Okay, I've been around the Bird Means Business blog for a while now and I'm learning a whole lot but I have some specific questions for my business. Like, maybe it's how should I structure my packages or pricing. Or Bird I'm embarrassed to admit I've never really looked at the financials in my business, I don't even have a separate bank account. And really the numbers just completely freaked me out. Or it could be, hey, I could really use just a simple marketing strategy. Could you help me think through that? This is what I do in my private strategy sessions. It's a one on one session. When you go online to book you'll actually receive a questionnaire that will help me understand what your specific needs are. And we'll just dive right in. After our one-hour session, you'll get an audio recording of, you know, our entire discussion so that you can refer back to it. And at the end of the session, you're going to also get a game plan of next steps so when we have our follow-up session or we have a 30-minute follow-up session. It could be in the next week. It could be the next month, depending on your specific timeline. We're going to discuss x and y and z, that you've implemented. So it's a great way to have a real solid gameplan, a roadmap of next steps. And then also having someone to hold you accountable. I can tell you, you're gonna leave this session feeling like I got this let's go and that's what I'm all about. I bring so much energy and hype to the sessions because again it's just something I love so much. It will be an incredible investment in yourself, and in your business. So go to birdwilliams.com/strategy to get started. 

All right let's dive right into the episode. So we're talking about customer retention. How do you retain clients? What makes people want to come back again and again? Y'all I want you to think about what makes you want to go back to businesses or buy a product again and again. In this episode, I'm actually going to break down four awesome ways to increase your customer retention. Let's go. 

All right. So first is having an incredible experience, right? That's pretty obvious. But let me kind of give you an example, one real quick. Have you ever thought about Starbucks? Coffee was a thing forever. Starbucks served coffee, but it was a whole experience. It was a whole different setup. You know they had an actual feel than the different coffee shops. It made you want to sit and hang out. They had a completely different culture and vibe. So you want to think about how you can do that in your business to really shake up the market in the same way, if you can if it applies. I want to break down what an incredible experience will look like for the different business types, so I mean, for brick and mortar business for a product based business. And then for like a one on one service based business or any kind of service based business. I'll break them down as I go. 

Okay, so first brick and mortar. I want you to really think about the sensory experience for your customer. Kind of the aura, or the vibe, as they are in your location, experiencing your product or service. Does what they feel spark joy? Is it like a Marie Kondo kind of situation in there? Are they looking around like, yeah, this is my place? These are my people. I love it here. I want to be here as much as I can. Right? I actually encourage my students to think about the five senses in this exercise. Does it smell good? That's something that makes people want to come back. Or are the bathrooms always dirty? I don't know about y'all. I'm kind of a germaphobe and I don't like dirty, especially in the bathroom. So, those are things that really actually add to customer retention. Might seem small, but, you know, the beauty is in the details. That's what people are really seeing. Other things to consider are things like are there inspirational quotes on the wall. Is this a place that inspires them to dream or relax, or whatever it is you're trying to convey? You want to make sure your culture, your core values are explained or shown in your actual environment on location. This is also a good reminder that marketing is a lot more than just advertising or promotion. Because oftentimes when people hear the word marketing, they just go right to the website or social media. But that's just the promotion. That's just one of the seven P's of marketing, and I actually have an episode, all about this. It's Episode 19. It's called “The Seven P's of Marketing”, and you're able to see how there are other aspects of marketing that you really should be thinking about, and place is one of them. This is an episode that actually several of you have told me is your favorite. I want to make sure that you go check it out if you haven't already. But you want to think about the place you want to think about the experience. That's really important in a brick-and-mortar business. 

Okay, next I'm gonna talk about a product based business. This will apply to a product that's online, or a brick and mortar. When it comes to products, consistency is key. Have you ever ordered a drink at Starbucks and the taste wasn’t exactly the way you like it? It's usually a little bit more sweet. Or have you ever noticed that one Chick-fil-a location has saltier fries than the other? Okay, maybe that's just me. But as humans I know we love and value consistency. However, I want you to really get challenged here and I want you to think about your core values because you might create a product, where subtle differences in each of the products is kind of the point. Maybe it adds to the mystery or the allure of your product. That works too. That's great. 

I will say that as I see it,  in most cases consistency is valued by your customers. It's not the case all the time. And y'all know I like to throw in these entrepreneurial mindset pieces because they are important. So if you're multitasking I want you to come back to me. I want you to really lean in here and listen if you're distracted. You're going to get a lot of advice from a lot of people as a business owner as you're on this journey. And what's going to make you a great business owner is discerning what you should and shouldn't implement. So, you know, you might hear me share something that can work for so many people. But it might just not work for you. It doesn't mean that the advice I'm giving is bad. It just means that it might not apply to you. And so it's really important that you begin to hone in on that discernment because otherwise, you're going to feel like a chicken with your head cut off going all over the place. So, if I say something or anyone gives you advice where you're like, I could see how that works, but it doesn't work for me, and sure to just tweak it or just throw it away if that's not something that can help you. But in most cases, like I said, I believe that consistency is super-duper key. 

Another thing for product based businesses are those special touches like packaging. This is actually one of those seven ways as well. So we've talked about promotion, place, and packaging. There are four more so make sure you go check out Episode 19. I will say that packaging is huge. Unboxing is a thing these days. You’ve probably influencers or even just regular people on Instagram or social media, unboxing something that they received as a gift or some products. Well, again, we all know the feeling of opening something up and there's like this nice cushy feel to it. Or there's like a handwritten note, or just some kind of thoughtfulness, your intentionality, and thoughtfulness, in general. Or have people coming back again and again to your business and telling their friends about it. So when it comes to product based business you want to think about consistency, if that works for you. And you also want to think about how you can be intentional and thoughtful in the little details. The packaging, how it looks, how it's unboxed, and things like that. 

All right, now we're going to talk about four service based businesses and this is, if it's one on one, maybe consulting or coaching or if it's, you know, just a general service based business and this can also apply to online or brick and mortar. So, for example, if you don't know I own a gym here in Houston called The League. I've had it for seven years. It's a brick and mortar business but it's also a service based business, so this could apply here as well. When it comes to this, you want to give your clients the best of you. So this means that you're working in your lane, and you don't do everything. You're focusing on your core competencies and you're hiring where you can and when you can. Giving your clients the best of you also means recharging so that you're fresh and focused and that you're ready to deliver better than expected results. This is so very important. 

This next tip is really for any business type, but it's especially important when you work with clients one on one. Make sure that you survey your clients if you want to be thinking about customer retention. Once you've worked with someone, ask them to fill out a short survey and you can make this easy for them by asking them a series of questions and questions in an email. Again, keep it short and sweet because you don't want it to be overwhelming. You could also do a Google survey or something really simple like that. But you want to understand things like, what did you like, and what didn't you? How could I have served you better? Surveys are great for customer retention because first of all, it makes them know that you care and it means something to you to hear their feedback. And also of course you can evaluate their responses and decide what can be implemented from this feedback so that people have a better experience, next time. Okay, so that's tip number two for service based business. 

Number one, give your clients the best of you and number two, make sure to survey your clients and get their feedback. Number three, and again this is another one that's really for every business type. And I kind of mentioned it already, make it easy for people. I mentioned that as it related to the survey but in every aspect of your business as best you can make it simple. People love simple processes and ease. Have you ever gone to a website and you couldn't even figure out how to book or pay or you’re searching the website to try to figure out how to actually work with someone or sign up for a class? Nobody got time for that. We have to give people convenience and ease. People like processes. 

It makes them feel like, first of all, you know what you're doing. And then that makes them feel safe. People like being taken down a path and understanding what steps to take. It’s actually just in our psychology already. So, this kind of helps people better prepare or know what they're going to expect down the road. This is why you see, step one, step two, step three, on websites. People like being taken down a path. So many of my clients rave about my intake process, which is super easy because I use Dubsado, and this is a system that I actually talked about in Episode 16. It's how I automate client communication in my online business. It's amazing. And like I said so many of my clients will say I just really love the questionnaire and the whole process. What is that? How can I do that in my business? And it's really as simple as just getting Dubsado, having it on my website. It’s super-duper easy and it doesn't just help your client again by feeling safe and feeling like you know what you're doing, and all the boxes are checked and t's are crossed, and all of that. It also helps you. Like I've said a million times before and I'll keep saying, your systems will save. If 100 people booked a strategy session with me tomorrow. I wouldn't be scrambling to try to figure out how to respond to everybody and fit them all into my calendar and send them all the things. Nope, it's all automated, and it would just basically mean that my calendar would be booked out for months. But the scheduler, the contracts, invoices, all of that is automated through Dubsado. And it helps me too. So again if your process or your location is easy for people and there are just less hurdles for them to have to go through to come back to you. So if you're thinking about customers, retention, make sure you make it easy for people. 

All right, now that we've talked about the experience they're going to have working with you and how that looks for different business types. Let's talk about your team and customer service. You've heard me talk a lot about team. I think it is just everything because your team really is the heartbeat of your business. They are the touchpoints, whether it's face to face like our instructors at our gym or if it's just the packaging and people who are shipping your products. They are the endpoint so you want to make sure that you train them to have excellent customer service. Now your business culture is actually going to play a big role here as well. And again, your team is crucial in actually establishing that culture. So your culture, you know it stems from your core values, which you set out in your business plan. But you don't just stop there. You actually transfer those core values into actual actions your team takes. And I actually show you how to do this, in my Prove It Plan framework. This is my process for how to develop a profitable business plan. It's one of my favorite things ever, and I show you how to not just write out core values in your business plan but to actually implement them into your brand culture, and how to train your team accordingly. This is all very very important because, again, your core values aren't these cute statements just written here. Business plans are integral to how your business actually runs. So if you're interested in developing a solid business plan, which I think is a very important first step for any business, go to birdwilliams.com/proveitplan. 

All right, so when we're talking about team, one good way to think about this is to train your team to think like an owner. So I actually have a really sweet example of this. Last week, my husband Terry and I celebrated eight years of marriage. And we decided to go out to Austin, one of our favorite cities, and spend some time there. It was a quick trip. And we wanted to go kayaking. So we went to this place called The Rowing Dock, and we were super excited. We get out there and when we get ready to pay, they say that they don't accept American Express. We didn't have any of our other cards on us and it was like, oh no, we don't want to have to go all the way back to the hotel. The employee offered, “I'll pay for it and then I'll let you pay me through my Venmo.” And my first thought was like oh my goodness, that is so gracious. My second thought was this employee has an owner’s mentality. Because see, an employee would say, oh, I'm so sorry. Yeah, we only accept you know whatever. We don't accept American Express. But an owner would try to figure out not only how to secure the sale. But also how to make the customer happy, because that's going to make them want to come back. That's going to make them want to tell their friends about it. And you know this was huge for us. Like I said it was our anniversary weekend and we were super excited. It would have been such a bummer to have to go all the way back to the hotel. We might not have come back if we had done that, or even if we had it would have been super deflating. So not only will we return more back to Austin. But I'm gonna make sure to tell all my friends who live in Austin about it because of the great customer service. 

So, again, your team plays a huge part here in actually enforcing your company culture, your core values. So I just want to say props again to The Rowing Dock for creating a great culture through their team. 

All right, so before I move on. I just feel the need to say this. Someone might be listening and thinking, “I am not good with client-facing roles. I'm just not the best with customer service because maybe my personality is quirky, or I'm awkward.” First of all, I get it. I'm honestly such an awkward person, or at least I think I am. But you have two options. I'm going to say this in love. Here are my two suggestions. Number one, get over it. And y'all know I say that in love. Like if you were here right now I would give you a big hug, like a socially distanced air hug maybe. But I love you and that's why I'm saying when you're in this season when it's just you, you're gonna have to get over it. I'm going to challenge you, not to have subpar business growth, because you don't want to stretch yourself, because you don't want to get out of your awkward comfort zone. And again I'm saying this to myself because I identify as awkward. You got to get over it. You got to stretch yourself. You can do this when you get to this next season, the next phase of your business. 

This is my number two, hire someone. Hire someone who shines in that area because y'all, real talk, we're just not going to shine in all the areas of our business. You're just not going to be equally good at creating your core product or service and legal and administration, and accounting and marketing and customers. It's just not going to happen, right? So the reality is, for most of us who are just starting out unless you have some crazy capital or people who are willing to work for free with the same vigor and passion as you like. You are going to be doing a lot of all of those different areas of the business. All of the things, and it's overwhelming. That is why this phase of doing all the things must be just that. Just a season, just a phase, if you actually want to grow your business. You're gonna have to hire someone who connects well with people who always has a big smile and is just naturally thriving there in that area so that then you can go focus on where you thrive in the business. Okay? Again, that was all in love. I got to keep it real. Got to make you better. 

So we all know that having a strong culture is so crucial to any brand. You know that's what the world knows you for. That's the feeling that customers have when they consume your product or service. It's very, very key. So, I feel very strongly that this has a lot to do with your team again because they are the heartbeat because they are those touchpoints. So ask yourself, what would make your team treat the business like you would, an owner would? Maybe it's calling them team instead of calling them your employee or staff. We call them our team in our businesses. Again, that's just our take that might not resonate with you. But you need to figure out what answers, that questions, that connects, with your core values, your beliefs, your ethos, your priorities, and your people. What would make your team? Treat your business the way you would actually. 

I created a free guide called “Team Strong: Building a Winning Culture”. It's all about this culture building in your business and how your team can play a role and there's even actually interview questions from a business partner, an employee or team member in our business, and also one of our Leaguers, which is one of our clients. We have a special name for them too. We like giving people names and making them feel like a part of the family. So you can go to the link in the episode description. I'll actually just link that freebie, that download, here in the episode description wherever you're listening to the show. 

All right, so we've talked about having a great experience. We've talked about having excellent customer service. And now we're going to talk about the third thing which is giving them a reason to come back. So, you can do this, you know, simply with some kind of loyalty program. You've all kind of seen that. You know, buy 10 eyebrow threadings and get one free. Those little cards. I personally think that might be a bit antiquated. It's just totally my opinion, but I'm the kind of person who always loses my card. I know that some companies do apps with this. But again I personally don't like the idea of having all these apps on my phone. And I know some people do it through text messaging. But lately, I've been getting so much text messaging spam that I'm really weird about giving my number out. But again there are ways to do this. Go back to your core values, your mission, what your ideal client needs and wants, to kind of determine that. But I will say one thing that we've done to make this our own in our gym business was having challenges. Of course, I actually see so many businesses doing this very well. At The League, there are particularly slow months in fitness, in particular, November and December. And you'll find this in most industries where there's kind of a lull at some points of the year. This is when it's especially important that you have customer retention, right? So one thing we do is called Winter Warrior. It's in that November-December time frame. And the challenge is whoever comes the most in this two-month period, gets one month free, and for us, it's like a $150 value. So, that gets our customers, our leaguers in the door, and we also reward them for it with a month free. I think this is a great fun way to do it and I want you to think of different ways that you can do something like a challenge or some kind of way to, again, just keep them coming back, giving them a reason to come back inside of your business. 

All right, number four, and this is the last point, it's staying relevant. I don't just mean with social issues which is incredibly important, especially in 2020 and in the world we live in today. It is very important that you are socially relevant in your business, but also staying relevant to your clients’ needs. Things are always changing, and your audience's needs might even change. So my question to you is, is your business adapting with those needs? This really starts with understanding your community or your ideal client, your target market. What keeps them up at night? What problems of theirs does your product or service solve? Or what desires of theirs does your product or service fulfill? How can you best serve them? That's the question I want you to ask yourself. In order to stay relevant, you have to actually know what they need and how your product or service actually serves that need. So on that side of things, you want to make sure you understand their needs and that you're meeting their needs through your business. 

Another thing you want to do is make sure that you're showing your audience that you're relevant and you can do that by having consistent original content. You've heard me talk about this before but there are typically three ways to do this. One is like a written blog. Maybe you do a blog post every week or every other week. Maybe you have a podcast like me. Maybe it's like some kind of video show, or YouTube or IGTV series. But you're answering their questions. You're addressing those pain points we talked about through one of these channels. And it really causes you to stay top of mind. So for example, if you're an interior designer, and you know that your community, your ideal client is, you know, really busy, and they have the cash but they just don't really have the time and space to devote to their remodel or, you know, converting their guest bedroom to an office or whatever it might be. And you know that they're looking for someone who's going to just come in and do it for them or whatever it might be. Staying relevant is having a weekly or maybe even bi-weekly or monthly if you're just starting out. But again, the more the better. The more consistent the better. But having some kind of maybe YouTube video that has a tip or gives them an insight because again, that's what they really want. And when it comes time for them to remodel, they're gonna think of you, because you've been giving them so much helpful information and tips whether they've been implementing or not. You are the go-to expert. You are the go-to person they're going to think of because you've been top of mind. You've been relevant to them right. So the key here is consistency. And you will be surprised at how many people pick up on this. I can't tell you how many times I've had friends or colleagues of mine ask me about Bird Williams or like it's been so successful, it's done so well. And I asked them what makes them think that because they're not seeing the numbers. I don't know what makes you think that. And guess what they're saying every time? It's because you're so consistent you're always sending out emails. You're always on social media. And when you really pull back the layers to what people deem as success, it's just consistency. That's kind of wild. That's like its own thing. If you really heard what I just said, it could really be life-changing, game-changing for your business. Okay? Game-changing for your business and life-changing for you. So being consistent in whatever you do is super-duper important. And again I'm happy to talk through marketing strategies or ways to think about this in a strategy session if you want to dive deeper. 

All right, so that was a mouthful but I think it was super-duper helpful and I'm so glad again I could answer one of your real-life questions. Again, when you think about customer retention, think about what makes you want to go back to businesses and brands you love. Is it the experience? Is it the incredible customer service? Do you have some kind of compelling reason for them to come back again and again? Do you find them to be relevant in the space that they're in? These are the same questions I want you to ask for your own business. 

As a reminder, I have a free guide called “Team Strong: Building a Winning Culture in Your Business”. It's linked in the show notes in the episode description right here, so just click it to download it. You'll receive the PDF in an email. You'll learn about ways to really build a strong culture and how that starts with team, which, again, I believe is so vital and so crucial to having a strong business. 

All right. If you don't already, make sure you subscribe here on Apple Podcasts, and follow us on Spotify as well. And if you have any entrepreneurial friends or someone who needs to get on the brand building train, tell them about the Bird Means Business podcast. All right, talk to y'all next week.