How many times have you felt like a business owner really doesn’t care if you ever come back to their business or not?

Powerfeedback recently conducted a general population survey in which we asked respondents whether or not they continue to patronize a business even if they are not treated with respect or if they feel that their patronage is valued. Surprisingly, 53% said that they do. When we questioned this further participants cited both convenience and familiarity as the primary reasons for this decision.

Candidly I must admit that I was surprised by this result. In my case if I am a regular at an establishment and I see that my business is not appreciated I move on. Of course I do make certain to say something before I take this step.

Business owners typically focus heavily on attracting new patrons but do far less to maintain the current base of business. This strategy is filled with numerous potholes especially when you consider that word-of-mouth advertising is still the most effective means of acquiring customers.

If you own a business what steps do you take to make certain that your existing customer base is still feeling loyal and connected to your business?