Episode Summary:
We spend a lot of time trying to keep clients happy and coming back. We tweak our services, refine our systems, and look for the next thing that will make us stand out. But real loyalty is often in the small moments that happen along the way. Today, we’re mapping those moments intentionally, so the client experience you're creating matches the kind of business you want to build.
What I hope you take away from today's episode...
- Customer loyalty is built through connection, not just great services or smooth systems
- Every interaction is a touchpoint, whether you’re aware of it or not
- Small, thoughtful moments often matter more than big gestures
- As a solo business owner, your flexibility is a powerful advantage
- Clear communication and consistency build trust faster than perfection
- A strong closing matters just as much as a strong first impression
- Staying connected after the work is done keeps relationships alive
- Loyalty grows when clients feel seen, supported, and valued
Links to connect with me...
Book a Consult HERE! (https://caffeinecreative.io/consult/)
Email me HERE! theperfectblendcaffeinecreative.io
Find me on Substack!
Detailed Show Notes
Hello my friends and welcome to the Solo Grind. I was thinking, as I was planning today’s episode, that I always encourage those listening to snuggle in and get cozy to listen to my episodes, and yet I rarely sit and listen to podcasts. Mostly I listen on the treadmill, bike, or while I am getting myself ready for the day.
So wherever you are, I am so glad you are spending this time with me. And just in case we haven’t met yet, let me introduce myself. I am Teresa Schlup a Brand Strategist and Web Designer, who loves working with small businesses, especially the solo small businesses. And I just so happen to have a snazzy new website that I am pretty proud of. If you’d like to take a look around at the new digs, find me at caffeinecreative.io. And if you’d like to chat about your own brand and/or website click the beautiful orange BOOK YOUR COFFEE CHAT button and set up a time to share your dreams with me and chat about possibilities.
Okay, now that introductions are out of the way, let’s talk a little bit about what is in store for us all in January here on the Solo Grind.
Today is all about keeping our customers happy from the very first second they find us and inspiring true customer loyalty.
Next week I will be welcoming my first guest of the year, Tori Chasse, who is going to talk to us about systems and streamlining our processes for sanity! I learned so much from Tori and I know you will too!
After that, you get just little ol’ me again, and we are going to focusing on getting our house in order to create a solid foundation for success in 2026.
And once we have everything in order, from our customer experiences, to our systems, to the things that keep our business working behind the scenes, it is time to really promote our services, and I have another special guest, KJ Blattenbauer, who is going to be sharing her PR secrets. Trust me you do not want to miss that one because KJ has some tips that are easy and manageable for anybody looking to promote themselves.
Keeping customers happy and coming back is so much easier than searching for new clients.
This is no secret, and most businesses, especially service based businesses, actively look for ways to build and maintain customer loyalty.
We do this quite a few ways, from adding new features of bonuses to our existing services, to refining our services to be more appealing. We play around with new package ideas, and spend hours developing a ladder of services so there is a natural progression for customers to follow.
Along with all of that, many of us focus a lot of time and energy on creating systems and fine tuning those systems so that our process is smooth and easy for us and our clients.
All of this is fabulous… even necessary but these don’t necessarily create the loyalty we are looking for. They contribute to it for sure, but this alone isn’t often enough.
The truth is that it doesn’t matter how awesome our services are or how efficient our systems are. If a client doesn’t feel a personal connection to us, then they most likely have one eye open looking for a better solution.
The face of customer loyalty
We often think that if a client returns, it’s because they are loyal., but today I want to challenge your perception of what loyalty looks like, because it is more than someone returning.
It is a choice to invest in you, because they believe in you and what you offer.
Let me give you an example… I used to have really curly hair, we are talking about the kind of curly hair that can be incredibly unruly if it is not cut well. And sadly, in my experience so many cosmetologists aren’t curly specialists so every time I moved to a new state, the search to find someone would begin and often be quite long.
Thankfully I was lucky when I moved to South Dakota, because my mother-in-law's cosmetologist, Paula, knew just how to take care of my hair. Not only was she great in a technical sense, she was just fun to be around, and really great with my kids, even when they were being challenging. When she opened her own salon, that was further away, I followed her, and when we moved even further away, I continued making the drive to see Paula.
I realize that 50 miles of country driving may not seem like a big deal for some, but driving that in the winter here in South Dakota … well we will just say it sucks.
But guess what… I made the drive? Sub-zero temperatures, icy roads, even blowing snow did not keep me from making the drive to see Paula for my hair.
Why? Because I couldn’t imagine trusting anyone else.
This is what loyalty looks like.
True loyalty is a…
- Partnership where you’re working toward the same goals
- Genuine connection built on trust and consistency
- Relationship that feels more like a friendship than a transaction
- Knowing you have someone in your corner when things get hard
- Sense that your success matters to them, and theirs matters to you
This sense of loyalty doesn’t form because our services are great. It’s developed through customer touchpoints, all of which can be intentionally designed to create an unforgettable experience for our customers in the best way possible.
Advantages of being a solo business owner…
As a solo business owner, I feel like we are in a better position to create these unforgettable experiences.
- As expectations are set and kept by us, they that much easier to maintain
- We can adjust timelines to the customer adding in additional time when we see its needed, while moving faster when it makes sense
- Being the one always connecting with our customers we can quickly shift, change or pivot when needed to address challenges, concerns, or anything unexpected that may arise.
- And while we have systems in place for efficiencies, we have the flexibility to adjust along the way to create a more personalized experience for our customers.
All of these advantages can be tied directly to a customer touch point.
Customer touchpoints
Every interaction with a client creates an impression, whether we realize it or not. From the first click to the final follow-up, and how we continue the relationship beyond that. Each touchpoint shapes how our business is experienced.
And that is where we build true loyalty.
There are a lot of common touchpoints, from moments when they first discover you, to the moment of purchase, during the services and after. But I believe that each business is unique in this perspective. We all have different ways of connecting with potential new clients, and our process is all of our creation. By identifying the customer touch points specific to our business, we can use that to discover ways to make the customer experience even better.
The best way to do that is to map your customer journey.
Mapping the Customer Journey
There are a lot of articles, books and other resources that talk about doing this, but so many of them I found come at it from a corporate perspective. Not only is their tips and structure a little boring, it also feels like it doesn’t pertain to those of us running a small few person business or solo business.
So today I thought I would approach this from the perspective of a solo business owner, and show you how I do things. And don’t worry I have extended show notes for this episode that you can refer to, so you can take your time with this.
Start Where They Start (Not Where You Think They Start)
What I want you to think about for this step is where do your customers first find you. Is it through search engine results, referral, social media? Maybe it's through a podcast, guest appearance or some other media.
Think of all the different ways you have in place right now where people find you. You may even want to map these out on a sheet of paper. Something like this…
Where do potential clients find me Referral
Referral
On Google
Podcast
Video Guest Appearances
Once you have these identified, review each instance individually through the eyes of your dream client avatar, and ask yourself…
- Am I showing up as the expert I am?
- Do I come across as calm and confident?
- Does what I am sharing offer relief or overwhelm?
- Does it make sense?
- Are the next steps clear?
Don’t stress if your answers don’t make you look perfect. No one is. This list is about finding opportunities to improve what you are already doing really well.
What are those opportunities?
Are there any tweaks you can make quickly so you stand out in the way you want to?
When Interest Turns into Action
After you’ve gotten their attention, and they like what they see, they will start considering reaching out and connecting with you. Again this is a part of the process that you won’t see or know about until after it happens, so it’s up to you to make sure you have the process set up well.
On your map, identify all the places potential clients can take action to get in touch with you. Here are a few places to consider adding to your map…
- Contact page
- Contact form
- Booking Link/software
- Google Business Profile
- Calling you directly
- Emailing you
Again review these as your client would and assess how well each one is working.
For example…
- Does your Contact page feel inviting
- Is your Contact form easy to complete?
- Does it send a friendly and welcoming auto-response?
- Is it easy to find your booking link?
- Is that easy to fill out, and does it send a response that sets clear expectations?
- Is your Google Business Profile up to date?
- Does it reflect the right services and who you are today
- Do you have a friendly and welcoming voice mail in place?
- How do you answer the phone if someone called?
- How quickly do you respond to emails?
- Do you have well thought out quick response emails ready for common questions?
Once they say yes…
As soon as someone says yes, even maybe, there is work to be done to build the connection. From the proposal to how you respond to the acceptance of the proposal, and how smoothly the onboarding process goes once they have said it, is a key moment in creating a really positive customer experience.
If you take days to send the proposal, or follow up to the “yes” with just a contract and invoice, you aren’t doing much to build the kind of relationship that leads to loyalty.
If you haven’t done this already, go through your own on boarding process from proposal to beginning the work, and ask yourself…
- Is this easy?
- Am I communicating in a timely manner?
- Am I setting clear expectations?
- Am I overwhelming my new clients with too much at once?
The key here is that every touch point to reassure your new client that they made the right choice.
Once the work begins…
Now it’s time to identify where you interact regularly with your clients. This could be through…
- Meetings or calls
- Emails during the project
- Each stage of delivery
- Check-ins or progress updates
These are all opportunities for you to truly shine and make a great impression, so spend a little time imagining just how you want each one of these touch points to go.
- How do you want them to feel before? During? After?
- How can you ensure expectations are clear?
- What potential confusion or friction can you prepare for ahead of time?
While we hope there is no confusion or friction, to assume it will never happen is shortsided. So prepare for it as best you can before it arises, and when it does surprise you, step back and consider what you do better in the future.
Your primary goal in this stage of building loyalty is consistency and clear communication.
Once the work is completed…
Have you come to the end of a really big project and found it to be anti-climatic? All the time, energy and work that was put into something… and then it just ends with no real sense of closure. No pause. No acknowledgment. Just on to the next thing.
This happens more than we’d like, and it is often where any chance of loyalty comes crashing down around us.
How do you bring a project to a close now, and how does it make you feel? If you feel something is missing, then your clients definitely will feel it too.
Take the time to think about how you close things out, and ask yourself…
- How do you want them to feel when it’s all said and done?
- Am I inspiring those feelings in how I close things out?
- Could I do more?
- Am I doing too much?
The goal of this stage is to bring things to a solid sense of closure while also showing appreciation and that you are here again when they need you.
Maintaining a relationship after the work is done.
I think this stage may be the most unique and personalized stage of the customer journey. There is no one way to map this out that would fit for everyone, because what works for me, probably won’t work for you.
And I have seen a lot of people just quietly walk away forever because they don’t want to be a pest. But here is something they aren’t considering… If your client has had the fabulous experience you wanted them to have, reaching out on occasion is not being a pest. It’s showing them you still care about their success.
So how can you keep the relationship going? Here’s a few ideas…
- Reach out and check in to see how things are going periodically
- Add them to your newsletter, as long as you can see it has value for them.
- Always send a personal thank you for any referrals they send your way. It could be a phone call, a thank you note, just something that shows you appreciate them
- Keep them posted on new offers or services you have that may interest them. You could even share with them first if you know it is something they would really benefit from.
There are a lot of ways to inspire true customer loyalty, and truth be told, I go through the process a few times a year, especially anytime I have an experience that feels less than fabulous.
