When I first started my entrepreneurial journey, I had three loyal customers. They were the first to purchase my products and always promoted my business to their friends and acquaintances. At times when I felt like giving up, it was their encouragement and belief in my vision that pushed me to achieve my goals and stay in the game.
No matter how you brand your business, or where it is located, you wouldn't have a business without your customers. They are your foundation and become part of your story. Retaining existing customers also costs less than acquiring new ones and helps increase your profit. Research by Bain & Company reveals that increasing customer retention by 5 per cent increases profits by 25 per cent to 95 per cent.
As many people around the world will be celebrating Valentine’s Day today, it is important to always show your customers you value them, and especially those who were loyal to your business during a pandemic. Though many businesses are mindful of their expenditures, there are ways to creatively express your gratitude and love.
Send them a personalised note
A personalised note from the founder of the business, expressing love and gratitude for their loyalty would go a long the way with customers. You can do this once a year, or on special occasions and holidays such as Eid or their birthdays.
Provide them with special discounts and benefits
Come up with a benefit programme for your loyal customers. It could include special discounts, sneak peeks of new collections, or a chance to test a product before everyone else.
Shower them with samples and freebies
We have a saying in Arabic that goes along the lines of “Even if they’re rich, they still would love a gift”. Send your customers mini gifts like a notebook, a sample of a product that you want to promote, or an experience with their purchase.
If your customer is a filmmaker, perhaps you could provide them with a chance to view something that you wouldn’t unveil to others and allow them to film it. Or if the founder of a business is someone customers aspire to be like, then you could organise a free and short mentorship webinar with the founder and provide an opportunity to seek his or her advice.
Listen to your customers
One way to show your customers appreciation is to assure them that their feedback is important and that you listen to them. You could acknowledge a customer’s advice by dedicating a social media post thanking for valuable advice.
You could arrange for virtual focus groups, or a simple questionnaire to improve their experience with your business.
Another way to show them that you are listening is to be active on social media, respond to their comments and answer their questions.
Your business’s profile on social media doesn’t need to be formal and a one-way communication channel, but you could humanise it and make it fun for your customers to connect and chat with you. For instance, fast food chain Wendy’s presence on Twitter is witty and funny, and many users interact with it.
Go above and beyond for them
The pandemic has affected both businesses and consumers. Your customers are going through a hard time, so it would be thoughtful if you provide an add-on to enhance their experience.
Depending on your line of business, you can offer discounted subscription fees, free exchange and returns, an instalment payment option, express deliveries at a standard price, or provide special promotions. If you are a service provider, then you could offer a free consultation, or waive certain fees.
Though just one day is dedicated to celebrating love in the calendar, business owners should incorporate expressing their gratitude to their customers always, especially during hard times.
Manar Al Hinai is an award-winning Emirati journalist and entrepreneur, who manages her marketing and communications company in Abu Dhabi
match info
Chelsea 2
Willian (13'), Ross Barkley (64')
Liverpool 0
HWJN
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Yasir%20Alyasiri%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Baraa%20Alem%2C%20Nour%20Alkhadra%2C%20Alanoud%20Saud%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
THE SPECS
GMC Sierra Denali 1500
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Price: Dh232,500
Results
5.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Dirt) 1,600m, Winner: Panadol, Mickael Barzalona (jockey), Salem bin Ghadayer (trainer)
6.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,400m, Winner: Mayehaab, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
6.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh85,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Monoski, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer
7.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (T) 1,800m, Winner: Eastern World, Royston Ffrench, Charlie Appleby
7.50pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (D) 1,200m, Winner: Madkal, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
8.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (T) 1,200m, Winner: Taneen, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster who has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
Facebook | Our website | Instagram
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
More coverage from the Future Forum
How tumultuous protests grew
- A fuel tax protest by French drivers appealed to wider anti-government sentiment
- Unlike previous French demonstrations there was no trade union or organised movement involved
- Demonstrators responded to online petitions and flooded squares to block traffic
- At its height there were almost 300,000 on the streets in support
- Named after the high visibility jackets that drivers must keep in cars
- Clashes soon turned violent as thousands fought with police at cordons
- An estimated two dozen people lost eyes and many others were admitted to hospital
500 People from Gaza enter France
115 Special programme for artists
25 Evacuation of injured and sick
yallacompare profile
Date of launch: 2014
Founder: Jon Richards, founder and chief executive; Samer Chebab, co-founder and chief operating officer, and Jonathan Rawlings, co-founder and chief financial officer
Based: Media City, Dubai
Sector: Financial services
Size: 120 employees
Investors: 2014: $500,000 in a seed round led by Mulverhill Associates; 2015: $3m in Series A funding led by STC Ventures (managed by Iris Capital), Wamda and Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority; 2019: $8m in Series B funding with the same investors as Series A along with Precinct Partners, Saned and Argo Ventures (the VC arm of multinational insurer Argo Group)
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday Celta Vigo v Villarreal (midnight kick-off UAE)
Saturday Sevilla v Real Sociedad (4pm), Atletico Madrid v Athletic Bilbao (7.15pm), Granada v Barcelona (9.30pm), Osasuna v Real Madrid (midnight)
Sunday Levante v Eibar (4pm), Cadiz v Alaves (7.15pm), Elche v Getafe (9.30pm), Real Valladolid v Valencia (midnight)
Monday Huesca v Real Betis (midnight)
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
