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How to Keep your Customers Coming Back

Copyright ? 2006

The trouble with some people is, they assume that their

clients are all boring, dull and have no sense of humor.

Isn't it strange how most companies seem to have a charisma

bypass when it comes to communicating with their clients.

Which would you rather have, A client? Or, a friend who is

also a client? A friend of course. Well, to have more

friends in your business, you must do more friendly things.

Actually, it's all about the human touch. Something that's

often missing in our business dealings today. Your clients

are all human beings who have a wife or husband, kids who

don't listen, a mortgage that's too big, a house that's too

small, a swimming pool that needs cleaning and a garden

that needs weeding. They are concerned about their health,

they like to laugh, eat out, go to the movies and want to

be happy just like you.

The more you treat your clients as friends, the more

they'll talk about you and want to do business with you.

You spend more time at work than at home. So make it fun

and deal with clients as if they were your friends. They

will be your friends if you do the following:

Send Birthday Letters- Everyone likes to be remembered on

their birthday. Personal birthday letters are the easiest

to implement. Why not send a little gift? Maybe a gift

certificate to a restaurant (The restaurant should give you

the gift certificate for free or at a 60 percent discount

since it introduces a new customer to them at no cost. Or a

couple of movie tickets or whatever.

Make regular "How's everything going" calls- Pick up the

phone for 15 minutes each day and call a client for no

other reason than to say. "Hi, I just called to see how

things are going." When was the last time you called your

clients when you didn't have to. Your clients will

appreciate that you are thinking of them. It makes them

feel that you really care. Do this regularly and, you'll

have so much business you won't know what to do with it.

Send out a small box of candy- Include a bag of candy with

your next order together with a handwritten note that says,

"I thought you may like these, they are my favorites." Or

instruct your staff to include them with every job or

delivery you do. Attach a little note saying, "Here's a

little something for you to enjoy." You will not believe

the impact this will have on how people remember you and

your business. When your clients talk about you, they'll

know you're the one who sends that great box of candy.

Give unexpected gifts- If you find an article, a book, an

audio cassette, or anything else your clients may be

interested in, send them a copy with a note saying, "I

thought you'd enjoy this. I just finished reading it and

it's got some interesting ideas." If you buy large

quantities of books, audio-tapes, reports, etc., you'll

find the price you pay is reasonable and the goodwill it

creates large. Invest in educating your clients, and

they'll give you more business.

Send Christmas messages with a difference- Your Christmas

card will get lost with dozens of others unless you do

something different. Something that will make your clients

talk about it and about you. It's far easier to create a

conversation piece by sending a letter with a candy cane

and a bit of Christmas tinsel than to do what everyone

does. Or you could send an inexpensive card and take the

dollar you save and tape it to the card with these words:

"Here's something you can give to your favorite charity or

make a small child happy." That's sure to get more

attention.

Send lots of Thank You letters- Thank your clients for

everything. Especially for paying their bills on time.

Thank them for referring people to you, thank them for

coming to see you, thank them for giving you their

business. What you reward is what you'll get more of. So

reward your clients by thanking them often. When's the last

time someone thanked you for spending your money with them.

Make Thank You phone calls- As a variation to the Thank You

letter, you or your staff can also pick up the phone and

thank your clients in person. "Hi we really appreciate it.

Just wanted to say thank you for taking care of your

account so promptly."

Give your clients recognition- Get photos of your clients

at their business along with a written testimonial about

the results and benefits they received by using your

services. Put these on your reception and office walls.

They'll be flattered, and they'll talk to their friends

about it. How do you get them to agree? Say... "I'd like to

get a photo of you and your business along with a

testimonial if possible. I'd like put them up in our

reception area where people can see them and promote your

business at the same time." Who can refuse free promotion

of their business?

Let your clients in on how you do things- The next time a

client visits your place of business, show them around.

Explain to them what the various people in your company do.

When presenting a bill or a quote to a client, itemize what

you did. Make sure you explain why the bill is what it is.

You'll find that if you justify your bill to the client

with a good explanation, reasons why, you won't have

problems with unhappy clients who will go elsewhere.

Educate your clients- The more you educate your clients

through seminars, newsletters, reports, books and in your

letters, the more they'll want to do business with you. The

reason is, you're showing them that you're knowledgeable

and good at what you do. The more highly they think of you,

the more they'll trust your advice and service.

Ask your clients for feedback on your performance- The best

way to continually improve is to send out Client Feedback

forms every 6 to 12 months. For the most useful feedback,

simply ask these questions; How can we improve our service

to you? What else can we do to help you in your business?

What do you like the best about our service? What do you

like the least?

These answers will help you focus on areas of interest to

your clients and give you valuable feedback on what you

should be doing to improve your service. Remember, client

perception is a reality. You may think you're doing a great

job. However, if your clients don't agree, you'll have to

change or you will lose them.