Happy customers will help you to grow your business

With your recently acquired customers now returning on a frequent basis, there is an opportunity to ask them to recommend your product. You might even choose to reward them for their efforts.

Firstly, you need to make certain that your retained customers are having a great experience. There is no point, for example, asking somebody for a recommendation if they're in the process of making a complaint or cancelling an order.

If your customer is continuing to use your product and their needs are being met to their satisfaction, then you are in a strong position to ask them for their help.

If your focus is on ratings and reviews, then you might start by suggesting that they rate your app in the app store or rate your product with an independent service such as Trustpilot.

If your focus is on customer service, then you might want them to answer the classic "On a scale of zero to ten, how likely are you to recommend our product to a friend or colleague?" question, so that you can calculate your net promoter score.

If you can offer a referral scheme, then you might provide your customers with a unique referral code that they can share directly with others. This way they can receive a reward whenever their code is used by new customers. With the right product, this approach can lead to exponential growth, as experienced by the likes of Uber and Dropbox.

Whichever technique your employ, building a customer base that is willing to recommend your service will strengthen the foundations of your fledgling business.

If you'd like to get some hands-on experience learning how to bring your ideas to life, then check out my course on innovation, S.L.I.C.E. - it will give you all the help you need.