In the film Pay It Forward, the main character (played by actor Haley Joel Osment) is invited by his social studies teacher to “think of something to change the world.” He cleverly plays on the common notion of “giving back,” deciding instead to “pay it forward”– doing a favor for three new people as a means of repaying good deeds.

You can encourage customers to adopt this same good spirit with a similar practice: Paying It Backward. You need to make your customers enthusiastic about reciprocating services, advertising your company, and in general helping your business to expand. How can you achieve this?

Loyalty Programs

A good way to get your customers to pay it backward is by installing a “loyalty program,” fit to whatever conditions you deem acceptable for your industry/business. According to an article by Inc, American Airlines was one of the first purveyors of this practice; it wanted more loyalty and participation for its customers, so it developed “frequent flyer miles” in the 1980s–and other airlines quickly followed suit. Regarding loyalty programs, Inc says that you should ask the following questions: “Is it customer tenure that’s most valuable? What about dollar-value of purchases? Would you rather be a company that delights clients with surprise bonuses or upgrades? Two other big issues should shape your decision: What your competitors are doing, and how much your company can afford to spend on the program.” Consider carefully these questions before you implement your program. Leer más “Paying It Backward: How To Get Your Customers to Reciprocate”