Call them what you like – clients, customers, buyers, consumers – in business we know a lot of different types of people and have to manage many different types of relationships. You should never taken a one size fits all approach to customer communication but by keeping the relationship warm, you will ensure that when it comes time to do business with them again, you won’t feel guilty for not keeping in touch.
Below is a list of 4 ways to help take your business from the back burner to the front burner in the minds of your customer and keep your business simmering away…
- Send on article of interest – if you find a newspaper, magazine article of relevance to a client, clip it out and put it in the post. Show them that you are thinking of them even when you aren’t doing business with them. Old fashioned, yes – effective? Absolutely!.
- Find 5 mins and pick up the phone – got a spare 5 mins each week? Find a client you haven’t spoken to in a while and call them to say hi. Don’t email – that’s easier but you can be ignored. Choose a time that isn’t too busy – mid morning or mid afternoon and start dialling.
- Find out about their business– what business is your client in? If you can make a referral to their services you can just about guarantee a referral back down the track when the time is right. Referrals are a good reminder that you are thinking about their business too.
- Write a newsletter – put together a newsletter that you can send out to your clients. The frequency is up to you – once a month or twice a year – doesn’t really matter. What is important is the content and don’t make it all about you. Include useful industry information, highlights on current events, profiles on customers or staff, and useful tips from other businesses you work with to share with customers .
So forget the smoke signals and put away the magic 8-ball, keeping in touch with people your already know is easy, cheaper and more rewarding than any advertising to attract total strangers. With xmas just around the corner, maybe it’s time to think about a new approach to the dusty old xmas card…
