The Little Things that Keep Customers Coming Back for More

Last week, my son, my husband, and I went out to a cute little 1950s ice cream parlor for dessert.

This place is oozing with nostalgia. The only thing that’s changed in decades is the clothing styles of the employees and guests.

It was the first 80-degree day for us here in Wisconsin, and everyone in town had the same idea. I didn’t mind standing in line, because it gave me a chance to people-watch while soaking up the happiness.

A man, who I assume was “Grandpa,” was showing a little girl how the jukebox worked.

Three little ones were sitting up at the counter. I’m guessing the kids were probably 4 and under, based on the fact that their feet barely passed the edge of their shiny chrome and royal blue vinyl stools. Mom and dad were standing behind them, armed with napkins in a heated race to catch the drips. From the looks of it, everyone was going to need a bath when they got home to wash off the sticky⏤Mom and Dad included!

When it was our turn, we ordered and paid for our cones and then wandered outside to walk along the river. I wanted to check out the new Kaleidoscope planter the park district installed. (It was cool BTW!)

Seeing other people enjoying the river walk with their milkshakes and waffle cones, got me thinking…

What makes a business so good that customers come back year after year for generations?

Now obviously having a good product, fair price, and quality service are important. If any of these are disappointing, it’s going to hurt the business.

1. Was the ice cream out of this world? It was good, but most ice cream is.
2. Could it be the price? No, the prices were pretty average.
3. Was there something special about the service? The staff was primarily high-school kids working their first job. They did well and we had no complaints, but it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary.

So after thinking about it for a while, I came to the conclusion that most customers wouldn’t come back for the product, service, or price.

I think customers come back for all the little things that add up to an excellent experience.

The feeling of stepping back in time when you walk in the front door and hear the door bells jingle above the murmur of happy people having conversations in the background.

Watching traditions get passed on as grandparents and parents take their kids to the same ice cream shop or a shop similar to the one they visited when they were kids.

The warm weather.

A beautiful place to walk and enjoy your sweets and sweethearts.

Time together as a family.

The sound of the birds and kids playing in the park.

And a million other little things.

So how can we leverage the little things in our businesses to keep customers coming back for more?

Do the little things that make a big impact on others.

For example, I recently welcomed my founding members into the Get Leads & Clients Academy. I didn’t have all the onboarding in place yet, so I recorded quick loom videos to thank each new member personally for their purchase and welcome them to the program.

Almost every person replied verbally or via email with a message along the lines of, “Thank you. That was so nice. No one does that kind of thing anymore.”

Another client mentioned that she wished someone could tell her exactly what to do in her business each day. So I took the idea and started publishing Daily Marketing Missions. We’ve published a few weeks of them so far, and I’m blown away by the response. My clients and subscribers seem to be loving the actionable tips each day.

The best part is that these marketing strategies make a big difference in creating loyal customers and raving fans, but they don’t cost a lot of money or time.

If you haven’t checked out our Get Marketing Momentum accountability program yet, you’re going to love all the little things we’re doing in there as well! (Not to mention the little price!) We have live co-working sessions on Mondays, marketing planning sessions on Fridays, and live group Q&A coaching sessions twice a month!

Now it’s your turn! What are some of the little things you already do in your business that keep people coming back for more? What other little things might you want to add?

Share your ideas in our Free Facebook Group. I can’t wait to hear what you’re implementing!