6 Ways to Create Lifelong Customers

Make a Good First Impression

People are perceptive and quick to judge. If you want them to return to your business, you must make a good first impression.

Focus on how you engage and communicate with customers. When greeting customers, store employees should smile, exude confidence, stand up straight, speak in an uplifting, positive tone, and listen carefully to their needs. These interactions build the foundation for future communications and healthy customer-employee relationships.

Your store or physical location must make a good first impression. To impress customers, boost your in-store merchandising techniques. Clean your floors and aisles, dust your shelves and products, and neatly stack or hang your merchandise. You can also improve your store’s outside appearance by cleaning storefront windows and repainting faded or chipped surfaces.

Make Customers Feel Wanted

Customers have the power to shop online, visit your competitors’ stores, or keep returning to your business. Those decisions are much easier if they feel welcome in your shop.

Kurt Smith, ATA’s director of industry relations, said it’s important to ask customers to come and shoot.

“Beginners are often intimidated by new people and experiences,” Smith said. “If you extend a personal invitation and offer to teach them about equipment and shooting form, you’ll make them feel welcome, and more likely to return. Ask them to join group classes and events. Invite them to be part of your archery community.”

Group classes or leagues also give you opportunities to introduce newcomers to other customers. Those connections help them feel like they belong. As they make new friends, they can learn from each other, hold each other accountable, provide advice or moral support, and recognize another friendly face in your shop.