10 Reasons Why You Should Always Listen To Your Customers

October 27 2015 - It is more important than ever to listen to your customers - and if you've ever checked TripAdvisor you'll realise why. These days, thanks to social media and the internet, customers have a louder voice than ever before. Sites like Twitter also enable angry customers to make their thoughts heard, and it's important that businesses deal with these grievances, acknowledge, and act if they are going to keep their customers happy. So why should businesses listen to their customers? Here are 10 reasons:

1. Customers know what they want and need

You can't second guess what a customer wants. The only way to find out is by speaking to them. If you want customers to buy your product - and keep buying them - then you need to keep finding out what they want and need. If you keep this in mind, your business can only grow - in both knowledge and service.

2. Customers have the buying power

If you want to alienate customers don't listen to them - it's as simple as that. If you want customers to spend their money on your product or service, find out what they want. Customers are the key to success - they're the ones with the money and they will show you whether they like your product by voting with their money - taking it to you or taking it elsewhere. If you need help growing your customer base, try using a specialist site like Hello Print. Websites like these are able to help with print advertising so you can quickly and easily generate brochures, flyers, and leaflets. You can also choose business cards from Helloprint and place them by your till for customers to take home and remember you by. Easy marketing!

3. Listening to customers will grow your business

No business wants to stagnate, or - worse - get smaller. Businesses need to grow if they are going to continue to be successful. Listen to your customers - hold focus sessions, feedback forms, conduct surveys, and they will give you the answers you need to grow your business. They will feel valued and they will come back for more.

4. Customer feedback helps you improve

It doesn't cost much to get customer feedback, and it's always going to be beneficial to your business. Feedback should be acted on and acknowledged - it makes your customers feel that they are appreciated and valued.

5. If you don't listen, customers will go elsewhere

You want your customers to keep coming back so make sure you listen to them. If there's a problem, act. Make sure you do everything you can to resolve it, and offer some form of compensation if you can't. Customers can be fickle - if they see a reason to leave they will.

6. Customers can tell you what they think of your opposition

So a rival business has popped up. Find out what people think of it by asking your customers. That way there's no need for sneaky undercover detective work, and you'll get the honest truth - whether it's good news or bad for your business. Either way, once you know you can act and up your game. The upper hand is yours once again!

7. Customers like to feel valued

We all want to feel appreciated - whether that's in a relationship or as a loyal customer to a business. If you are open to conversations from your customers they will feel like you want to know how you can improve. You may have to take the old saying, 'the customer is always right' with a pinch of salt but make them feel valued and listened to and you'll certainly keep them on side.

8. Customer feedback is a form of market research

Market research can cost £££s to set up so keep your costs down simply by making sure you listen to your customers from the word 'go'. Give them the opportunity to talk to you - arrange a focus group meeting for instance - and you'll get free market research for the price of a few drinks and nibbles!

9. Your business should always be focused on the customer

If you don't want to listen to customers' views then you should really rethink your desire to be running a business. Everything your business does should be focused on the customer. After all, it's the customer who makes your business, and without them there wouldn't be one.

10. Customers hold the key to success

Want to avoid big problems in the future? Don't bury your head in the sand - listen to your customers. Believe it or not, they can foresee what might be happening to your business long before you can. Customers can help you deal with problems as they happen and ensure they are nipped in the bud. That's got to be better than a problem that spirals out of control altogether.

Listening to your customers doesn't have to be difficult. Ok, so their feedback might not always be positive but once you know there's a negative, it's easy to act on. If you can only guess what your customers want then you're never going to fully be able to please them. Give them ways and means to communicate with you and offer their suggestions - whether that's online or by using a suggestions box in your shop - and you'll be in a much better place than before. Customer feedback is knowledge, knowledge is power, and that's what you need to make a success of your business.

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