“Loyalty is when people are willing to turn down a better product or price to continue doing business with you” - Simon Sinek.

If customers are unhappy, they’ll leave you for one of your competitors. If they’ve had a poor experience or been treated badly, some will make a scene on social media or leave a bad business review to warn others.

Customer satisfaction is important to any business, but the earlier you are in your business's growth, the more critical it is to ensure that your early customers are highly satisfied. When you sign up your first customer, that person represents 100 percent of your customer base, so their opinion of your business, along with the next handful of customers, matters greatly.

Think about your early customers and who they are. If they’re still known, you should be proud that they had faith and were among your earliest customers who backed you.

Here are a few ideas:

Everyone likes to be told they are valued. Start by saying thanks to your loyal customers and be genuine about it.

Could you do something to recognise their loyalty? – with a gift, discount or a special offer just for them.

If they’re still using your product or services, ask them to be a referral customer, review your Facebook or your Google Business listing, or to be featured in a published customer case study. Please send a link to your Facebook or Google business listing so they can easily add their review.