I rented my house out in August 2013. I had never done this before and I wasn’t really sure where to start. I was not ready to sell my home, but at the same time I didn’t like being in that part of town and it was just too much room for me. This is a story about a customer retention technique that actually worked. I’ve been able to witness first-hand, here’s what happened.
Price Lured Me
I began the process of renting my house by scouting out property management companies on the internet. I quickly found Aaron from Bluewater Property Management. I emailed him along with 3 other companies to get some feedback and begin weighing the pros and cons of each. Most everyone was prompt in responding to my emails and answered all the questions I had – competitive start – but was looking for an unforgettable experience.
Aaron sent me back a dissertation on why his company was better, but so did another company. I weighed the options and decided to meet with Aaron face to face. He was on top of his game up to this point and I liked that I could save some money with him. He charged $50 per month (for my part of town) to manage the property versus 10% of the rent like most companies do.
Connection Sold Me
When Aaron came over to the house to inspect it, we talked for about 30 minutes about what we could charge for the house, the pros and cons of the paint, and the upside of having a big back yard that was fenced in. He was on point and he didn’t jerk me around or avoid any direct questions I had.
We talked about his philosophy of going paperless to save time and money which aligns perfectly with my values. Then we talked about some books we’ve both recently read like The 4-Hour Workweek
As I was signing the documents to have Aaron and Bluewater manage my property, I was still a bit skeptical. It’s not always the lowest priced company that can provide the best value and that thought still lingered in the back of my head. But the deal was done and we were in business, no turning back now.
Customer Retention Horror Wonder Story
Over the coming months Aaron would be on top of his game, putting me at ease that I made the right decision to go with his company instead of the others. My calls and emails were always returned in reasonable time-frames and when there was an issue with the fence in the backyard going over the property line, he saw it through to completion so there were no hiccups.
Then, just as I thought things were going great I received this email from Bluewater:
I was blown away. Not only had Aaron done a great job of managing my property, he’s going to ADD SERVICES for free! I had no qualms with the customer retention techniques Bluewater was using up to this point, so this is icing on the cake. He has gone out of his way to reflect on his work and is seeking to improve it without asking for more money from his clients.
The Lesson
When we have clients and customers, there is always something we can do to improve our customer retention. It costs 6 to 7 times more to gain new customers than it does to retain the current ones. I am willing bet the Bluewater team doesn’t lose many clients over poor customer service.
And the best part about the awesome customer service is that I guarantee Aaron is building an awesome reputation for his business. As that reputation builds, in person and online, he will gain more business through word of mouth. Not only am I honestly blown away by this email, I’m also going to try and get him some more business for his great work.
If these ideas sound crazy to you, than it’s time to do some self-evaluation. This is how the best companies are run and this is how small, nimble companies beat the big boys of business each and every day. How can you offer better customer service without driving up the price? If you can find a way to do it, you’ll have a better customer retention rate in the future.
Thank you Aaron and Bluewater Property Management, keep up the great work!
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Do you have a customer service wonder story? Why were you blown away? Did you tell them how great they did?
I’d love to hear your stories, leave me a comment below or chat with me on Twitter!
Have a great weekend!
