1. Give it.

If customers are loyal to you, be loyal to them. That means going the extra mile to solve problems. It means compensating them for the mistakes you or your systems create. It means doing for them that you wouldn’t do for one time buyers. And sometimes it means making exceptions to irrevocable rules and policies.

2. Deserve it.

See #1. If you don’t take care of loyal customers, why would they stick with you through thick and thin?

Quick, name one thing you did today to deserve a customer’s loyalty. Stumped? How about this: did you give ANY customer a specific reason why they should come back and do business with you again? Treating customers fairly and giving them the value they pay for gets you into the game, but it doesn’t win the game.

3. Keep earning it.

This is a process, not a destination. Empower everyone on your team to do whatever it takes (within moral and legal means) to demonstrate how much you appreciate your customers. Give them a budget to spend on making customers happy. Recognize the people on your team going above and beyond. Celebrate those with a heart for the customer.