There’s a simple fact that every successful food truck has learned over the years: It’s a lot easier to sell to one of your existing customers than it is to sell to a new one. Building your food truck’s customer base is a huge step in when you are getting started. The key is once you’ve built a solid customer base is keeping them around. Having repeat customers can separate your truck from the competition.

Four Steps To Gain Repeat Customers

Create Genuine Relationships

The best way to create repeat customers is to make each and every customer feel like one of your regulars. Customers want to feel like they have a special connection with your food truck business. Make a point to get to know them.

Be Empathetic

Listen, acknowledge, validate & apologize. Listen to your customers. Sometimes people really do just need to vent, and rarely should a complaint be taken personally. Learn to acknowledge the customer’s issues, and train employees to do the same. As long as the complaint is being given during a rush and delaying the rest of your customers, give them the time to get their issues off their chest.

Don’t Take Them For Granted

Don’t ever take a customer’s loyalty for granted. It is a fragile trust. The key to building repeat customers is not just by providing great food and quality service. Meeting customer expectations in a first sale may not be enough. First time customers want to know you care. For loyalty to endure, it must be noticed and acknowledged over the long term.

Be Proactive

How did they like their first order?  Are they happy or dissatisfied with it?

If you have the time, ask these questions after the sale. Don’t leave them out in the cold once their order is out the service window.  This is the difference between demonstrating that you’ll deliver their order versus showing that you care about their opinion.  And if you can prove that you care about them, you’re on the way to making creating repeat customer.

RELATED: The Secret To Getting More Returning Customers

The Bottom Line

There are so ways that you can make your customers feel like they are spending their money in the right place, and these are just a few that we have found to keep customers coming back for more. You’ve probably been thinking about your menu and service throughout this post.

Have you come up with any additional ways to build repeat customers, or is there something that you already do that is effective? Share your thoughts on this topic in the comment section, our food truck forum or social media. Facebook | Twitter.