{"id":7609,"date":"2023-02-09T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-02-09T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/?p=7609"},"modified":"2026-01-15T11:42:25","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T16:42:25","slug":"10-steps-to-grow-your-customer-base","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/10-steps-to-grow-your-customer-base\/","title":{"rendered":"10 steps to grow your customer base"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGrowth & Customers<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t10 steps to grow your customer base\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\"Keir\t\t\t\tKeir Thomas-Bryant<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Customers are the lifeblood of any business, so it\u2019s vital you can keep generating leads and retaining your existing customers. But doing so is often a concern for businesses, with more than one in three companies saying that generating new business is their biggest worry. We spoke to two small business owners and asked them to share their experiences of growing their customer base.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Get to know your prospects and customers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a lot of talk about personalization and customer insight \u2013 that\u2019s because it works.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Understanding your customers\u2019 needs can lead to better insights into your audience and allows you to develop services that are matched to your clients\u2019 needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It can also help you stand out from your competitors, something that Alice Boden understands. She\u2019s managing director of Bodice of Holt, which offers a home delivery service for fruit and vegetables. She says: \u201cWe know our customers really well and know their preferences, so we can tell them when certain things are coming \u2013 when they\u2019re in season and in stock. Our service is completely personalized to their needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is where we have an advantage over bigger suppliers. I have a good relationship with our customers and I know the business. Because I source the produce and pack the boxes, I know exactly what\u2019s happening and can provide a fully personalized service.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And it\u2019s not just consumers who like this approach. It also works for business clients too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mike Cockburn, director at Sogno, a positive psychology coaching company, says, \u201cIt\u2019s important that we understand what our clients are trying to achieve: their mission, their goals. Then we look at how we can accelerate that and customize our services to meet their needs. It leads to a more balanced relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Divide your time: support existing clients and look for new work<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In simple terms, there are two ways to get more business \u2013 win new business or get your existing customers to spend more. It\u2019s important to ensure you don\u2019t focus on one at the expense of the other, as both are important for growing your customer base.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mike says, \u201cWe do have a lot of repeat business and feel we offer the most value with long-term clients. But you need to keep bringing in new business too. Old business can falter if budgets change or people move on, so it\u2019s important to look for new opportunities. You need to start a relationship early, so that it\u2019s mature enough to deliver new business when your other work is completed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Small Business Survival Toolkit<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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A practical guide with easy to use templates to help your new business start, survive and thrive.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGet your Small Business Survival Toolkit<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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3. Offer great customer service<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To keep your existing customers coming back, it\u2019s important you offer great customer service. In fact, research shows that 78% of people have walked away from a sale as a result of poor customer service.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But if you get it right, it has a positive impact on your customer base and your bottom line. Loyal customers are worth up to ten times the amount they originally spend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take the time out to evaluate your customer service, make sure you respond to your customers quickly and keep an eye on social media, so you can offer great service online too. Your customer numbers should grow as a result.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4, Make the most of your networks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ask a business owner where their customers come from, and most will tell you that word of mouth is their main source.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recommendations from others are valuable: \u201cIt\u2019s the idea of social capital \u2013 the value of relationships,\u201d says Mike. \u201cIf I know people that they know, then there\u2019s an implied trust.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most of his clients come from networking, something he\u2019s passionate about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think people sometimes equate networking with sales and prospects can be sensitive to a sales approach. But if you recognize that only so many contacts will go on to be clients, then it reduces the pressure. The work we do is based on trust and openness, so the way we make contact is a good opportunity to demonstrate that. I meet up with loads of people and if I can help, they remember that. That can open new doors.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alice agrees. \u201cNetworking is really useful. It\u2019s not just about selling, it\u2019s about what you can do for people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Look for partnerships with other businesses<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Your ideal customer will already have relationships with other businesses, and this offers a great opportunity.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By partnering with other firms which offer complementary services, you can not only reach a new audience, but also potentially offer more to your customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s something that Bodice of Holt are looking into at the moment: \u201cThere\u2019s a body development firm in Bath, which offers personal training and nutrition advice. Part of their service is to help their customers to understand what they should be eating when they\u2019re training, which includes fruit and vegetables. They are recommending us to their clients \u2013 and we\u2019re look at delivering directly to the gym once a week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about looking around and keeping your eyes peeled for opportunities. Be open to new ideas and speak to people to see if they\u2019re interested.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Make use of social media<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Social media has revolutionized the way customers and businesses can share information and have conversations. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

From online customer service to using social media to get insights into your audience, there are now excellent opportunities for businesses to reach out via Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other networks. Which ones work for you will depend on your business, your audience and the way you like to communicate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. Think big<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re a small business, can you work with a big company? The simple answer is yes.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But many small companies find it intimidating to make contact. Mike has a range of big clients, from Greggs to Kia, and says it\u2019s worthwhile approaching large corporates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur success with clients goes back to developing a network of long-term connections. But small businesses now have more opportunities to work with big clients. I think that\u2019s changed since the credit crunch. Big corporates may have been suspicious of smaller businesses in the past, but they now recognize that they offer value and have lower costs too. There is less prejudice now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8. Play to your strengths<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s definitely worth testing a range of marketing approaches and seeing what works. But remember that every business is different, so you may find that some approaches don\u2019t work. Don\u2019t be afraid to drop these.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

9. Adapt as your business grows<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s important to keep trying new ways of reaching your audience, and don\u2019t automatically reject things that might not have worked in the past.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As your company becomes established, you may find your customers come from different sources. This is why it\u2019s important to keep track of business analytics and your financials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe get new customers from a wider mixture of places as the business has grown,\u201d says Alice. \u201cWe\u2019ve been going for about two years and at the start, it was through friends and family. Now we get people through word of mouth, advertising and from attending markets. We also get people through Google and the website.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

10. Measure what works for you<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As you try out new approaches, be sure to monitor where your customers come from and which sources offer the most value.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can then keep refining your approach or scale up activities that work to grow your customer base further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Small Business Survival Toolkit<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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A practical guide with easy to use templates to help your new business start, survive and thrive.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGet your Small Business Survival Toolkit<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t7,066 readers have downloaded this guide\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\"People\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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Subscribe to the Sage Advice Newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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Get a roundup of our best business advice in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In this article, we speak to two small business owners and asked them to share their experiences of growing their customer base.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":280,"featured_media":52,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[177,178],"business_type":[3],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[],"imagine_tag":[],"coauthors":[311],"class_list":["post-7609","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growth-customers","tag-customer-relationships","tag-customer-retention","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-ca","author_name":"Keir Thomas-Bryant","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2017\/12\/28e97d730686d23c9fb5bb12ac4325ac_clientImage_1280x853_xlarge_original_1.jpg","imagine_tags":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice Canada English","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7609","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/280"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7609"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7609\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/52"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7609"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7609"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7609"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=7609"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=7609"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=7609"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=7609"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=7609"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=7609"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=7609"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}