How to Keep your Customers Coming Back

The trouble with some people is, they assume that theirclients are all boring, dull and have no sense of humor.Isn't it strange how most companies seem to have a charismabypass when it comes to communicating with their clients.Which would you rather have, A client? Or, a friend who isalso a client? A friend of course. Well, to have morefriends in your business, you must do more friendly things.

Actually, it's all about the human touch. Something that'soften missing in our business dealings today. Your clientsare all human beings who have a wife or husband, kids whodon't listen, a mortgage that's too big, a house that's toosmall, a swimming pool that needs cleaning and a gardenthat needs weeding. They are concerned about their health,they like to laugh, eat out, go to the movies and want tobe happy just like you.

The more you treat your clients as friends, the morethey'll talk about you and want to do business with you.You spend more time at work than at home. So make it funand deal with clients as if they were your friends. Theywill be your friends if you do the following:

Send Birthday Letters- Everyone likes to be remembered ontheir birthday. Personal birthday letters are the easiestto implement. Why not send a little gift? Maybe a giftcertificate to a restaurant (The restaurant should give youthe gift certificate for free or at a 60 percent discountsince it introduces a new customer to them at no cost. Or acouple of movie tickets or whatever.

Make regular "How's everything going" calls- Pick up thephone for 15 minutes each day and call a client for noother reason than to say. "Hi, I just called to see howthings are going." When was the last time you called yourclients when you didn't have to. Your clients willappreciate that you are thinking of them. It makes themfeel that you really care. Do this regularly and, you'llhave so much business you won't know what to do with it.

Send out a small box of candy- Include a bag of candy withyour next order together with a handwritten note that says,"I thought you may like these, they are my favorites." Orinstruct your staff to include them with every job ordelivery you do. Attach a little note saying, "Here's alittle something for you to enjoy." You will not believethe impact this will have on how people remember you andyour business. When your clients talk about you, they'llknow you're the one who sends that great box of candy.

Give unexpected gifts- If you find an article, a book, anaudio cassette, or anything else your clients may beinterested in, send them a copy with a note saying, "Ithought you'd enjoy this. I just finished reading it andit's got some interesting ideas." If you buy largequantities of books, audio-tapes, reports, etc., you'llfind the price you pay is reasonable and the goodwill itcreates large. Invest in educating your clients, andthey'll give you more business.

Send Christmas messages with a difference- Your Christmascard will get lost with dozens of others unless you dosomething different. Something that will make your clientstalk about it and about you. It's far easier to create aconversation piece by sending a letter with a candy caneand a bit of Christmas tinsel than to do what everyonedoes. Or you could send an inexpensive card and take thedollar you save and tape it to the card with these words:"Here's something you can give to your favorite charity ormake a small child happy." That's sure to get moreattention.

Send lots of Thank You letters- Thank your clients foreverything. Especially for paying their bills on time.Thank them for referring people to you, thank them forcoming to see you, thank them for giving you theirbusiness. What you reward is what you'll get more of. Soreward your clients by thanking them often. When's the lasttime someone thanked you for spending your money with them.

Make Thank You phone calls- As a variation to the Thank Youletter, you or your staff can also pick up the phone andthank your clients in person. "Hi we really appreciate it.Just wanted to say thank you for taking care of youraccount so promptly."

Give your clients recognition- Get photos of your clientsat their business along with a written testimonial aboutthe results and benefits they received by using yourservices. Put these on your reception and office walls.They'll be flattered, and they'll talk to their friendsabout it. How do you get them to agree? Say... "I'd like toget a photo of you and your business along with atestimonial if possible. I'd like put them up in ourreception area where people can see them and promote yourbusiness at the same time." Who can refuse free promotionof their business?

Let your clients in on how you do things- The next time aclient 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 whatyou did. Make sure you explain why the bill is what it is.You'll find that if you justify your bill to the clientwith a good explanation, reasons why, you won't haveproblems with unhappy clients who will go elsewhere.

Educate your clients- The more you educate your clientsthrough seminars, newsletters, reports, books and in yourletters, the more they'll want to do business with you. Thereason is, you're showing them that you're knowledgeableand 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 bestway to continually improve is to send out Client Feedbackforms every 6 to 12 months. For the most useful feedback,simply ask these questions; How can we improve our serviceto you? What else can we do to help you in your business?What do you like the best about our service? What do youlike the least?

These answers will help you focus on areas of interest toyour clients and give you valuable feedback on what youshould be doing to improve your service. Remember, clientperception is a reality. You may think you're doing a greatjob. However, if your clients don't agree, you'll have tochange or you will lose them.