Oh, No. It’s buyer’s remorse again. Nothing makes the heart of a small business owner sink faster. How did this happen? Could you have done something different? So many questions are going through your brain. It hurts both your pride and your bank account.
But when you take a moment to learn what buyer’s remorse really is, you learn that you do have the power to control it.
You can stop those chargebacks, lengthy arguments, and unwarranted reviews. You can even turn once very unhappy campers into life-long clients with these customer retention strategies to prevent buyer’s remorse.
What Is Buyer’s Remorse?
Buyer’s remorse is an intense feeling of regret after making a large purchase or a big life-altering decision. It stems from several burning questions people ask themselves after they sign on the dotted line, including:
- Did I really need/want this?
- Did I rush the decision?
- Was I coerced into making a decision that is not in my best interest?
- Did I let my ego get in the way of smart decision-making?
- Is this person able to deliver on their promises?
- Am I getting the value I think I paid for?
- Could I have made better use of my money/time elsewhere?
- Will my friends/family/boss think I made the right decision?
Buyer’s remorse is surprisingly common in consumer services and B2B alike. At its core, it’s a fear response that most people deal with on large purchases. And it shouldn’t be disregarded. As painful as it is to have your “perfect” customer come back a week later questioning their decision, buyer’s remorse can be, at its core, a protective mechanism that encourages us to make smart decisions.
That said, too much buyer’s remorse is especially hard on a small business and your client’s sense of well-being. And you can take clear steps to reduce it—so you should. That’s where our practical customer retention strategies to prevent buyer’s remorse will help you.
But first, let’s look at how buyer’s remorse might look in various service industries:
- Home Contractor: Renovations are expensive. Could they really afford this? Did they get overwhelmed by options and settle?
- Law firms: Clients might ponder if they could have gone with a less expensive or more aggressive representation.
- Doctors and Veterinarians: Patients or pet parents might question if the treatment was necessary or if another provider could offer better care.
- House cleaners: Homeowners could second-guess the expense versus the value of professional cleaning. Should they have just done it themselves or hired a neighborhood kid?
- Bookkeepers: Businesses might worry about the cost of outsourcing versus in-house management.
- Pet Spas: Pet owners might wonder if the luxury services were worth the splurge.
You know the answer to these questions because you know the value you offer. But the question is: do your clients understand the value they’re paying for?
This elusive “value” is at the heart of this phenomenon, and here are the strategies to prove your worth.
Strategies to Cement Customer Loyalty and Avert Regrets
1. Deliver Unquestionable Value…Before They’re a Customer.
Of course, preventing buyer’s remorse starts with “delivering the goods” people believe they’re paying for. You choose to hire trustworthy and dedicated people who know their stuff and can do a great job.
But unquestioned value is more than that. Value is perceived. It’s communicated both directly and indirectly by your small business brand—and your happy customers.
To communicate value, you must clearly benefit your customers. Whether they’re looking for stress-free legal advice or a spotless home, make sure your clients know exactly what they gain from your services—what they’re paying for. Don’t overpromise. Offer insights into what people can expect from your brand through blogs, social media posts, emails, and lots and lots of happy client testimonials. These reinforce the worth of your services.
2. Set and Manage Expectations
People perceive value based more so on what they expect than what they get. You set the stage for accurate representation of your services. If you promise a trip to the moon, and only deliver the moon, they probably won’t feel they got their money’s worth.
At the same time, you want people to know how great your services are. How do you find that balance?
It all starts with transparent processes. Whether you have a court filing timeline or an appliance technician arrival window, you want to set a clear expectation of what occurs when. People like predictability. They will feel safer and more satisfied when they know what to expect… and things happen as expected.
Follow up transparency with regular updates. Keep clients informed, especially if something in the timeline changes. As long as clients feel you’re keeping them in the loop and you seem to have it under control, they’ll continue to feel that value they’re paying for.
3. Promote Respect and Courtesy in ALL Interactions
Even when customers are behaving “badly”, decide from the start you’re going to be courteous. Don’t escalate the situation. Build a culture where your team does the same.
Most often you can de-escalate a negative experience by resolving issues and learning from that experience.
It’s critical to train your team to be respectful all the time. Those respectful interactions can be the icing on the cake that makes a customer perceive that they got the value you promised.
Furthermore, you can address your clients by name and customize your services to their needs. It shows care and attention to detail.
4. Be Accessible and Responsive
If someone tries to reach you and suddenly discovers they can’t find your email or that your number has been disconnected, they panic.
On your end, it could have been a harmless mistake. Maybe someone just inverted the number when adding your number to an online directory. But suddenly it feels like a crisis for this person who just spent a lot of money.
Think about how you would feel.
So, make sure your contact information is very accessible and correct. You should have a consistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone) across online directories, website, social media, Google Business, and key review sites.
Contact information is only as good as your ability to respond, so customer retention strategies to prevent buyer’s remorse should also include an incoming communications strategy, ensuring someone is available and can respond quickly.
This availability can reduce the anxieties that can trigger buyer’s remorse. Plus, you have an opportunity to resolve an issue before it becomes a bad reviews, negative TikTok, or credit card dispute.
When it comes to developing a communications plan, it’s also important to think: multi-channel. Some people really want to speak to someone on the phone. Others need written options like email or social media messages because of other abilities or simply preference. If you only have a phone number for contact, this can be anxiety-inducing for those of us who don’t like talking on the phone, don’t have time to wait on hold, or even can’t hear.
Be there for your customers to deliver a high-value experience that feels supportive for all.
5. Promote Positive Engagement
Let your happy clients and customers tell your story. One picture of a recently bathed and trimmed pooch at a pet spa is worth 1000 “we offer the best pet spas treatments in town”.
Showcase happy people getting the best service by:
- Encouraging reviews on key reviews sites
- Automating review requests
- Responding to more reviews, including some positive ones
- Sharing before-and-afters with permission
- Sharing post that your clients share of your work on social media
- Featuring client success stories and reviews prominently on your website
These are trust-building tools that are critical before someone becomes a customer. So, yes, you should absolutely have social proof like this next to your calls to action.
But when we’re speaking specifically of buyer’s remorse and customer retention, the more authentic real examples people see the more they know what to expect and the more they feel they’ve made the right choice.
Take Control of Customer Expectations Customer Retention Strategies to Prevent Buyer’s Remorse
Are you ready to put these strategies into action the smart and easy way? Surefire Local’s marketing platform is designed to streamline your interactions with marketing automations that reinforce the right expectations and and help you ensure satisfaction.
From the moment a lead hits your radar, our all-in-one software can help you track, take notes, and ensure prompt communication, setting the stage for a flawless customer experience.
We help you establish accurate and persuasive customer expectations with customer experiences, localized landing pages, social media, and review site content. Keep your contact information consistent across 80+ directories with our NAP management automation. And let your customers tell your story with reputation management software that streamlines the review management process.
In situations where customers truly did not get the value they expected, our call listening software allows you to re-listen to conversations and take notes for improvement plans.
We’ve just scratched the surface of how our all-in-one platform can prevent buyer’s remorse and help you retain more customers.
But you know our philosophy is to let our customers tell our story, so be sure to check out our reviews and don’t just take our word for it—see how Surefire Local can transform your business. Attend a Surefire Local demo and start building stronger customer relationships now!