When Rewarding Your Clients Pays Off

  • Share
  • Share

Have you ever loved those customer loyalty rewards they give you at your favorite shop?  Chances are, your repeat clients will love something like this too.  Although they won’t be able to clip discount coupons, you can still give them your own version of this loyalty program that will surely include you in your client’s freelancer A-list.

It turns out that retaining old customers are better than getting new ones.  Know that customer satisfaction isn’t enough to keep them loyal to you.  You need to go beyond their perceptions of how business is done or making them more than just satisfied.  By rewarding your customers, you get to make them feel more valued, which in turn will make them do more business with you.  You won’t even have to blink an eye in securing your next freelancing gig.

Two Ways of Rewarding Loyal Service Buyers

If you’re one of us who have been reaping the rewards of having a loyal client in the freelancing sphere, it is time to nurture that relationship by:

1.  Giving Freebies

You can argue that a day’s work means a day’s pay.  We all know that each minute spent on work is deserving of getting a decent pay, specially when times are tough.  Yet, going the extra mile of giving small freebies that are not really that hard to accomplish can mean a lot to your repeat customers.  For example, if you are hired to write bulk articles for so long, you may offer a page for free with every set done.  If you are a freelance photographer, you may offer basic image retouching free of charge.  Small things can make a huge difference.  Besides, everyone loves free stuff – no matter what the freebie is.

2.  Giving Discounts

If you’re not into doing extra work for free, you might as well give your loyal customers some form of a discount.  You can set a minimal percentage of 10 percent on the total amount of work completed.  Your loyal customer has been paying you on time and offering a discounted package for the work to be done will mean a lot.  You don’t only help them save on their project, but you also help them stay with you for long.  Remember that they may always get tempted to search for another service provider with a lower rate; It’s just business.

How Do You Reward A Loyal Customer?

So, you have a lot of repeat customers and you wonder, who deserves to get more reward?  You need to first define what customer loyalty means.  It can be someone paying you on time for a certain period.  Let’s say you have a repeat customer doing business with you for six months and another for two years.  How can you be fair with your rewards?  There is exactly no standard rule in giving rewards and it is up to you to give someone more or less.  Always keep in mind to keep your part of the deal and avoid making discriminations based on a client’s race, gender, or religion.

You may play by the rules and stick to the guns when negotiating your rate as a freelancer.  You may also choose to wait for your repeat customers to ask you for some benefits of doing business with you.  But, taking an initiative and offering rewards can make a huge difference.  Your loyal clients are still humans and they will respond positively to some T.L.C. or tender, loving, care – in the form of rewards.  This will surely set a great customer service from a good one.  Give It a Try!

To Serve Is To Rule


Something Interesting:

Have You Asked Your Clients/Customers for Feedback?

Marissa Sayno

Passion and Love for writing makes Marissa continue her quest to inspire readers online and in real-time ( for over 5 years ). Writing has found her when she won a slogan writing contest for a local magazine, and her journey goes on... to the road of discovery.

 

  • http://www.allcotmedia.com Dawn

    Great tips… It’s important to remember, too, that rewards don’t have to come in the form of money or discounts. Never underestimate the power of a hand-written, mailed thank you card, or simply coming up with suggestions/ideas for your client’s business or passing on useful networking connections to them.

    I offer a few more suggestions here… http://www.writersroundabout.com/2010/02/how-to-show-your-clients-a-little-love.html

    My rates are too low right now to offer rewards or freebies, but when I finally get the nerve to raise my rates, I’ll be ‘rewarding’ my loyal clients who pay on time with discounts. I feel this will be more effective than just “not raising their rates as much” because then they don’t realize the discount.

    Whenever you offer someone a deal, it’s important to let them KNOW these are not your usual rates and that youre giving them a break because “you love the topic/they are a friend/they have promised you future work/ whatever…

  • http://www.allcotmedia.com Dawn

    Great tips… It’s important to remember, too, that rewards don’t have to come in the form of money or discounts. Never underestimate the power of a hand-written, mailed thank you card, or simply coming up with suggestions/ideas for your client’s business or passing on useful networking connections to them.

    I offer a few more suggestions here… http://www.writersroundabout.com/2010/02/how-to-show-your-clients-a-little-love.html

    My rates are too low right now to offer rewards or freebies, but when I finally get the nerve to raise my rates, I’ll be ‘rewarding’ my loyal clients who pay on time with discounts. I feel this will be more effective than just “not raising their rates as much” because then they don’t realize the discount.

    Whenever you offer someone a deal, it’s important to let them KNOW these are not your usual rates and that youre giving them a break because “you love the topic/they are a friend/they have promised you future work/ whatever…

  • http://ajeva.com Marissa Sayno

    Hi Dawn,

    Thanks for the lovely insight. Yes, I believe that in this virtual age, we tend to forget the power of a simple “thank you.” Even a small note can mean a lot. In my end, I always make sure to send holiday greeting cards each year to current and previous clients, just to show them my appreciation ( and that I haven’t forgotten them either ). I believe with the way you handle your clients with care, you will have the rates you deserve, and a bounty of long term projects. Just keep the faith. Be blessed!

  • http://ajeva.com Marissa Sayno

    Hi Dawn,

    Thanks for the lovely insight. Yes, I believe that in this virtual age, we tend to forget the power of a simple “thank you.” Even a small note can mean a lot. In my end, I always make sure to send holiday greeting cards each year to current and previous clients, just to show them my appreciation ( and that I haven’t forgotten them either ). I believe with the way you handle your clients with care, you will have the rates you deserve, and a bounty of long term projects. Just keep the faith. Be blessed!

  • http://blog.ajeva.com/2010/06/setting-work-boundaries-as-a-freelancer/ Setting Work Boundaries as a Freelancer | Ajeva

    [...] going the extra mile for your client helps a lot, especially when you are building customer loyalty and trust.  Yet, there are other times when you have to set your limits.  One day, you will meet [...]

  • http://www.crewdoginvesting.com/military-credit-card-rewards-4/ military credit cards

    Nice information.And now a days there are a lot of facilities offering by different banks so that to increase the user rate.And recently military credit cards are offering the best facilities.The best thing about this card is it automatically pays you the rewards in your account monthly without the usual $50 minimum like most credit cards.

blog comments powered by Disqus