So you’ve just signed up a new customer.

They fit your buyer persona to a tee and your products and services will genuinely be of benefit to them. But the relationship doesn’t end there.

There’s so much to do, depending on who they are when they signed up, and what exactly they expect from you and the company.

Here’s five tips on how to make a new customer feel welcomed and set them on the path to becoming an advocate:

TIP #1: WELCOME YOUR NEW CUSTOMER TO THE FAMILY

Introduce your new customer to some of your advocates — happy customers (who have given you their permission to share their information).

This is a great opportunity for you to act as a connector and networker. It lets the new customer know there’s a whole group of people who are ready to help them get started with ease. Show them around so they know where to find important information, like how to manage their account and where they can get support.

You should also Let them know about referral or advocate programs right away. That’s because the new customer might be interested right away because the sales experience with your company was so great, so try to sign them up right before the on-boarding begins.

Lastly, take advantage of any touch-points where you can be more personal. The company I used to work for would send a card to new customers with signatures from everyone on the customer success team to say welcome, along with a bit of swag for everyone on the customer’s team who had worked to implement the platform.

TIP #2: FOLLOW UP ON WHAT THE CUSTOMER EXPECTS

During the sales conversation, the customer would have spoken with your team regarding the capabilities and what perks come with membership.

In the days and weeks following the initial sale, it’s time to help the customer feel good about their purchase because this is the primetime for buyer’s remorse.

This might mean working with the sales and success teams to reiterate the terms and conditions of your contract, or a bullet point list directly in an email that goes over what the customer will now be able to access in their account.

TIP #3: START THE ON-BOARDING PROCESS ASAP

If your product or service requires some education or a ramp-up period, use the time immediately after the sale to get the process rolling as soon as possible.

For your team, this may require putting the customer in touch with a representative who will help them through training calls or ensure they download an educational deck.The last thing you and your new customer want is silence once the funds have cleared your account.

Again, it’s too easy for a customer to decide they regret their decision and come to you asking for your money back. If they legitimately made a mistake, that’s one thing, but you don’t want to leave the chance for them to even ask the question.

Just because your on-boarding process could be a call or training session shouldn’t mean the customer has to wait for an appointment or a deck to start using your platform — especially if they’ve already paid to use your service.

Encourage them to review your resources and get familiar with what you offer so when their training session begins, they’re already familiar with what they need to learn.

TIP #4: GIVE THEM TIME…THEN ASK FOR FEEDBACK

The moment right after your sales team acquires a new customer is crucial to collecting feedback on how your company looks to an outsider.

The information you collect could work for anyone and everyone: the web development team working on your app, the sales team using the decks you’ve created and your sales pitches, or the design team that creates the look and feel of your brand.All benefit by hearing from new customers who aren’t used to how the back end of their account works.

When communicating with a new customer, you’ll quickly get an idea of what they thought was wrong with the sales process or if they had any expectations that weren’t met.

With an NPS survey early on, you’ll also be able to measure how happy the customer is with your products after they’ve had a chance to try it out and complete the training.

Generating NPS scores from new customers can also give you great information on how the customer feels about your company over time. Collect the survey results first, then after three months, six months and a year to get an idea of how you’re doing.

You can also compare the results they give you with other customers who signed up at the same time. This is essential data that could change how you package and price your services, or give you insight on how to change your sales decks.

TIP #5: TAKE A CLOSER LOOK

But wait, we haven’t congratulated you on acquiring a new customer!

While you’re in the post-sale stage, take a minute to celebrate your success and then take a closer look at that customer.

Are they in a new industry that your company wasn’t looking at before they signed up? Or if they’re in the same industry as your other customers, do they plan to use your platform in a way that’s different from any of the customers you currently have?

Maybe they were a referral from one of your other customers. If this is the case, you can start to compile data that proves your benefit to company’s that match the profile of these two companies.

How big is the company? Are they larger or smaller than any other similar business that you’ve worked with? What you’re looking for here is any data points about this business that could potentially help you sell to other companies and expand your market.

If you do find something that stands out, talk with your coworkers and managers to see if you potentially have a new opportunity to market yourself to a different industry, or change how you marketing your company to a segment of an industry you already work with.

Maropost for Marketing will help you build long last relationships with your customers, all on one platform.

 

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