After someone makes a purchase, they become a customer. All good companies know that is takes a heck of a lot less work to sell something to an existing customer, than to create a new customer. In fact, some analysts have indicated that within some industries, a sale from a new customer can cost up to ten times more to acquire a sale from an existing one.

Now that you understand how valuable an existing customer is, you need to understand where customer service plays an important role. Take someone who purchases your product, and treat them like gold. Really, would you rather work 10 times harder attracting a new customer or spend the fractional effort to retain the existing customer?

I personally would rather work less and have happier existing customers than constantly focusing on customer acquisition. This is called "after the sale" customer service.

How to Offer Customer Service After the Sale

What you do after someone has bought either your product or a product through your recommendation, is just as important as the service you provide before. The customer service could end here, but you might lose your opportunity for multiple sales and as I mentioned earlier, a lifetime customer.

So what can you do to continue the customer relationship going after a purchase? Here are some suggestions...

• sending out an unadvertised bonus after purchasing
• emailing the person and offering them product support
• sending out a follow-up survey
• offering them complimentary training of the product/service after they joined
• giving them additional perks and additional discounts on your product offerings going forward

By making a connection with your customer after a purchase, you are opening your doors to new opportunities. If you are an affiliate, you can offer to send people you purchase a "valuable bonus" upon purchasing from your site (you want to open a line of communication so you can get their email addy), and then you will be able to create a long term relationship.

If you are a merchant, grab the customer information upon them purchasing, and send off a something that will be useful (support, training, bonus, etc). If you are selling a digital product, send a follow-up asking them if they have any questions or need any further assistance.

By offering the highest level of customer service, you are instantly opening the potential for future promotion opportunities to your customers. If they are happy purchasing from you once, why wouldn't they do it again? Chances are they would.

Question Your Customers

Ask your customers if they have any questions. If you have the opportunity to interact with them personally, you credibility will increase exponentially, and they will much more likely purchase from you now and in the future.

If you have a product, you can also get great feedback from your customers by asking them if they have any suggestions as to how you could create a more superior product. People are very willing to share their thoughts on products and services, and by asking for suggestions you may obtain some insight into how to grow your company and obtain brand new business ideas.

Unless you have done prior research, you may not know exactly what the customer wants. If you open yourself to suggestions, you will get right to the "root" of what your customer is looking for.