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Your Customers: Treat Them Well; Build Strong Relationships
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Customer relationships are what make your business important. Your customers are fabulous. Your business would not be as profitable without them. You might be just a face on a website with a name (or a voice), if this is the type of business your run. It might be that your customers never see or hear from you. You could be based on a collection of emails. You can go further to make a relationship than an email. Go a step beyond to call them and check on a project. Make them aware that you are taking time to speak to them and that you feel they are important. A good business owner puts time and money into appreciating their customers. Your customers generate profit to pay accounts; they refer you to other customers, open up new aspects of the business, and help the business expand. You make big profits and have great success because you have loved your clients and been loyal to them. These are three ways to build closer customer relationships.
1. Be watchful for the customer attitude that puts your business in the pit. With your skills, help out the client beyond what the job contract states. Understand where they are headed and be helpful. The last thing you want is for them to look for someone who can do the project for less money. So many people do just what is necessary. Go beyond to care about your customer. Help clients keep their deadlines. It can help you keep the customer. A customer might know somebody who can do the work at a cheaper rate, but because they always hit their deadlines the customer will continue giving their work to the business.
2. Thank the customer. Many feel like they hear too many complaints and do not get enough appreciation. Compliment the customer with lunch (a restaurant of their choice), thank-you cards (purchase a large box of thank you cards and send them handwritten),a email and sometimes a gift (and make sure it is a cool gift-desk set, coffee mug, a sweater, $50 giftcard to their favorite restaurant or keychain). Give attention to yearly holidays, different seasons of the year and build ideas of your own for gifts. Drop by with a soda in July, hot cocoa in February. A box of chocolates would be nice on Valentines Day. Many gifts are available for Christmas. Most people love free stuff. Give away T-shirts and promotional items to your customers. Have a “customer appreciation” party 2 or more times during the year. Have a lot of food and drinks and let the people enjoy. People will go to many meetings, events and other places and talk about how they appreciate you to other possible customers once you say thank you. Humans have a natural hunger to be appreciated, to be complimented and thanked for the work that they do. As a business owner or contractor there are many benefits to being grateful. You will gain the support of people around you. Good will grows immeasurably. You will maintain good customer relationships. It may also improve the relationship in your personal life. You never know that a new project might hit the desk of a client and you well be well-timed. It might get there just in time to get the job. Once your customer thinks you appreciate them they will be quick to give you more projects.
Even if you do not solve all of the customers problems, email them and let them know that you are taking them seriously. Email them right away. They will love the quick response time. Tell them you were happy to help them out so far and you will be available when they need more help. If these are clients you are looking to build a long business relationship with, it will be worthwile to return the favor with appreciation and loyalty.
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