The goal of most businesses is to make more money than they spend. Revolutionary, we know. But somewhere between attracting leads and panicking about churn, many businesses forget to ask a simple question: how much is each customer actually worth? And more importantly, how can you make that number go up without scaring them off or looking like a cash-hungry cartoon villain?
The answer isn’t “charge them more and hope they don’t notice”. It’s about delivering value, building loyalty, and gently nudging customers toward buying more, more often. So whether you sell luxury handbags, monthly dog boxes, or access to a suspiciously addictive productivity app, here’s how to maximise your return per customer without sounding like you’ve just attended a seminar titled “Manipulation 101”.
Step One: Know Thy Customer (Like, Properly)
No, “people aged 25 to 45 who like coffee” is not a target audience. You need to know what your customers actually want, what problems they’re trying to solve, and what makes them come back. If your idea of customer data is a spreadsheet with a few email addresses and an occasional “LOL” in the notes column, it’s time to dig deeper.
Use surveys, email engagement data, purchase history, social media behaviour, and your own intuition. Are they loyal or just lazy? Are they splashing out or scraping by? Once you know what makes them tick, you’ll know how to offer them more without resorting to shouting “BUY THIS” on every page of your website.
Upsell, Cross-sell, But Don’t Be a Pest
Upselling is not a dirty word. Offering someone a better version of what they already want is just good service. Cross-selling (showing them complementary products or services) is equally useful if done with subtlety and logic. What you don’t want to do is push them into a corner like a commission-hungry sales assistant who insists your shoes need a matching expensive scarf or the world will end.
Instead, treat upselling like a helpful suggestion from a friend who just happens to know your shopping preferences. “Hey, if you liked that, you might love this” sounds far better than “Spend more money or else”.
Pro tip: Bundle items together or offer package deals that feel like a win for the customer. Everyone loves to feel like they’ve cracked the system.
Get Your Subscription Game in Order
Subscription models are the business equivalent of passive income with a twist of customer loyalty. But if your pricing is all over the place, you’re either scaring people off or leaving money on the table. Choosing the right pricing models for subscription billing can make or break your monthly revenue.
Tiered plans, usage-based pricing, freemium strategies – there’s a lot to play with. Just don’t make it so complicated that customers need a PhD to work out what they’re getting. A pricing page should not feel like a logic puzzle.
Bonus tip: Offer a small, enticing trial or starter tier to get people through the door, then make sure your premium tiers are worth the upgrade. Nobody wants to pay extra for features they never use.
Loyalty is a Two-Way Street (So Act Like It)
Customer loyalty isn’t just about handing out the occasional 10 percent discount like a benevolent wizard. It’s about making people feel like they matter. If a customer has stuck with you through dodgy product launches, clunky updates, and that time you accidentally sent a “Happy Pancake Day” email in October, they deserve some love.
Create loyalty schemes that actually reward loyalty. Think early access, exclusive perks, birthday gifts, or points that build into something meaningful. If your points system is so stingy it takes seven years to earn a free lip balm, it’s time to rethink things.
And please, personalise where you can. A simple email that says “Thanks for being with us for a year” feels far better than “Dear Valued Customer, please keep spending money”.
Customer Service Should Not Be an Afterthought
Want people to spend more money? Start by answering their emails. Seriously. So many businesses forget that keeping a customer is far easier than acquiring a new one. If someone contacts you with a complaint or a query and you ghost them harder than a flaky Tinder date, don’t expect them to stick around.
Invest in good customer service. Train your team. Add live chat if possible. Actually listen to feedback and – here’s the revolutionary bit – act on it.
A customer who feels seen, heard, and helped is far more likely to trust you with their wallet again. Plus, they’ll probably tell their friends. Free marketing, anyone?
Make It Easy to Buy More (Without the Guilt Trip)
If your website is a maze, your checkout process rivals an airport security line, or your mobile app crashes more than a toddler after a sugar rush, you’re actively losing money. Friction kills sales.
Streamline your buying process. Make it stupidly simple to upgrade, reorder, or try something new. Offer subscriptions where it makes sense. Send reminders when things are due for renewal, and make your emails sound like they were written by a human, not a fax machine.
Also, make sure your returns policy isn’t terrifying. Nothing says “never shop here again” quite like making customers jump through flaming hoops just to get a refund.
Email Like You Mean It (But Not Like You’re Desperate)
Email marketing is still one of the most powerful tools out there for increasing customer lifetime value. But there’s a fine line between staying in touch and becoming That Brand that sends 14 emails a week about socks.
Segment your lists. Send relevant offers. Use automation wisely. And for the love of all that is holy, check your subject lines. “FINAL CHANCE” loses its urgency the sixth time you use it.
Try mixing in value-based content. Give tips, show off customer stories, or share behind-the-scenes bits. If people actually want to read your emails, they’re more likely to click, buy, and stay.
Track, Test, Tweak, Repeat
All the good intentions in the world won’t help if you’re not tracking what’s actually working. Use analytics to see which customers are worth the most, which offers convert, and which strategies make people vanish like they’ve seen a ghost.
Test different pricing structures, email timings, upsell tactics, and loyalty schemes. Be brutal. Kill off what’s not working, and double down on what is. Optimisation is not a one-time task. It’s a slightly obsessive, endlessly fiddly art form, but one that pays off.
Less squeeze, more serve!
