After maybe thirty visits there in the past few months, a manager at the nearby Nando’s Portuguese chicken take-away has acknowledged my repeat business by making a small comment about my order. Thirty visits is by no means an exaggeration either - why didn’t they try to build a relationship with me sooner? This is actually good for Melbourne . Go to the same place over and over and you’ll still feel the charm reserved for the average stranger.
Why are businesses like this? They say that it costs 5 times, 8 times.. 9 times.. 6.5 times.. as much to win a new customer as it does to retain a current one. So why not build a relationship with your customers? Every now and then - depending on your business - chuck in a free upgrade or maybe an unexpected discount.
Five minutes walk away from this Nando’s is a Chas’ Cafe (Top End Bourke St Melbourne for any Melbournites.). It’s not a high-end establishment by any means and their food is ok. But stand there at 8.30am and you’ll see why they have so many customers - they seem to remember the name of every single regular. Once or twice a month I go there for breakfast (I’d go there more but their stuff is a one-way ticket to a heart-attack) and they remember me. They have noticed, for example, that I’m always carrying a Nudie juice and even paid me once to get one for the owner!
Nando’s has all the presentation glitz and good quality food, but at any given moment during the day I guarantee you Chas’ Cafe is making more money, with a huge stream of customers filing through.
I might sell a completely different product but I know that I want to be like Chas’ Cafe and show each customer the appreciation they deserve.
I know how much I appreciate being treated like a valuable customer. You do too. It’s only a small amount of effort but will go a long way to ensure the success of any business.
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