To Frederick F. Reichheld, author of the acclaimed Loyalty Rules!, the secret to lasting business success comes down to putting customer loyalty above everything else. Here are five secrets for building customer loyalty:

1. Refuse to be satisfied. Imagine you are in a perpetual state of dissatisfaction with what you are delivering and strive to improve your offer. Your job is to help your customer reach for the stars.

2. Establish the highest standards for employees, dealers, agents and suppliers. Only by demanding top value from everyone involved in your business can you deliver what it takes to keep customers coming back.

3. Make sure that everyone in your organization understands that your company is not only about the product but about the entire owner ship experience. You want to improve your customers’ lives in some way. To do that, “own” the customer experience.

4. Champion integrated Internet marketing and be creative with it. Improve the customer experience on your Web site (e.g., offer customized pages to your first-tier customers).

5. Stop wasting capital. Insist that managers demonstrate customer loyalty or set a deadline for exiting that particular business. Rank-order capital investment proposals, and figure out which have the best chances of making you the best in your field.

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