Welcome Home!

My brave wife and two boys are winding down their half summer "Bass-Venture," a five week, 11 state, two country, almost 6,000 mile road trip. It included two family vacations where I was able to join them, as well as opportunities to visit old neighbors, family, and friends from places between Houston, St. Louis, Louisville, Atlanta, and Toronto.

As their trip winds down and I prepare for their return home later this week, it got me thinking about the similarities between their return and the process of welcoming back past, inactive customers to your business. Both require preparation, thoughtfulness, and a lot of homework to go off without a hitch. Here are some quick tips to keep in mind:

1. Give them a reason to come home As their adventure draws to a close, my family misses their pets, their beds, and their friends in Houston. What are your customers missing out on by not doing business with you? Reminding them about changes, improvements, or new additions to your product or service offering will get them thinking about you again. Spark their interest enough, and they will come looking for more information.

2. Clean up your house Just as my wife doesn't want to come home to a messy house, your inactive customers have been away for awhile. When you do convince them to come back, be ready for their return. Be sure your front line staff is empowered with the proper tools and information to impress your past customers when they give you another try.

3. Make them wish they never left Fresh cut lawn, fully stocked refrigerator, clean sheets, and a low key weekend ahead (instead of traveling from house to house to house to "see everybody") - my family is going to realize all of the things they have missed while they were away. Top notch service, friendly staff, best selection of products, lowest prices - what can you offer that your past customers can't get anywhere else? Use these advantages to fuel their realization that you can meet and exceed their needs. Try to make them forget why they even left in the first place.

After all, the goal of the "welcome home" is to show them how much you appreciate them, and make them think twice before hitting the road again...