Years later, she still remembered. And a double was still in order.
We often ask what will bring customers back, but give less thought to how we’ll welcome them when they do.
We used to go to a Mexican restaurant where the margaritas were too sweet for my liking.
My solution was to order a double.
After a while, our waitress didn’t need much explanation. Before we’d even placed our order, she’d look at me and ask, “A double?”
Yes, please.
Eventually, we moved away. Years later, we went back for a visit.
She still recognized us.
And she still knew a double was in order.
I couldn’t tell you what promotions that restaurant was running. But I remember how it felt to walk back in after all that time and discover we hadn’t become strangers.
That’s a pretty good reason to return.
She remembered something about us
I’ve spent more than thirty years working in marketing, so I appreciate a good campaign. There’s real work involved in getting someone’s attention and giving them a reason to walk through the door.
But that waitress did something no promotion could have done quite the same way.
She picked up where we’d left off.
We didn’t have to explain our order or establish ourselves as people who used to come in. She remembered a small detail, and suddenly the years between visits felt a little shorter.
The drink mattered. So did the person bringing it.
And apparently, I’m still telling the story.
Coming back is another decision
Businesses spend a great deal of energy pursuing new customers. Understandably so. A new inquiry, a first appointment, an unfamiliar name on an order—those are encouraging signs.
A returning customer can be easier to overlook precisely because she is familiar.
Her order comes through, and we process it. She books again, and we put her on the calendar. Everything proceeds as expected.
But from her side, she made another choice.
She could have tried someone else. She could have put it off. She could have decided the last experience wasn’t worth repeating.
Instead, she came back.
We often ask what will bring customers back, but give less thought to how we’ll welcome them when they do.
You don’t have to remember everyone’s margarita
That would be an ambitious addition to most business plans.
But there are ordinary ways to make returning feel easier.
A client shouldn’t have to explain her business from the beginning at every meeting. Someone who called about a problem yesterday appreciates talking to a person who has read the notes today. A customer who mentioned she was buying a gift might enjoy being asked how it went.
Sometimes the most useful thing we remember is how someone prefers to work.
A phone call instead of a long email. A little time to consider a proposal. The reason a particular deadline matters.
Good notes and thoughtful systems can help us do this. They give us somewhere to keep the details we’d otherwise lose during a busy week.
What matters is whether those details improve the next conversation.
Our waitress asked, “A double?” She gave me the pleasure of being remembered and the opportunity to say yes.
I could have ordered something different. Though, given the circumstances, that seemed unlikely.
Before the season gets busy
November brings plenty of reasons to concentrate on attracting attention. Holiday promotions, events, year-end offers, plans for January. There’s always another introduction to make.
It’s also a good time to think about the people who already know us.
When they return, will they have to start over? Will we remember what mattered last time? Will the experience give them another reason to choose us?
A welcome-back email is lovely. So is a special offer.
But when someone walks in, calls, or replies, we have an opportunity to make that welcome feel personal.
Years later, I still remember ours.
A loyalty program might have sent us a coupon.
She remembered my margarita.