Three old school ways to connect with clients

Depending on your business, industry and size, the way you interact with your clients and customers will be different to the way I interact with my clients. There are several things common to both our businesses though:

  • we both HAVE clients
  • we both have the means to communicate with them
  • both are important, either as repeat customers or as referrers of business.

You’ve heard the truism: it costs 5 times more to pick up a new customer than it does to keep a current customer. So, from a small business point of view, it makes perfect budgetary sense to keep a current customer doesn’t it? Well, yes. But that is a very short sighted way to approach your relationships. Your past and current clients have taken the leap of faith with your business: whether they spent $10 or $10,000, they invested in your products and services and helped keep your business afloat. For that, we should all be very grateful. So, how do most businesses show that gratitude? They pocket the cash, deliver the product and move on to look for new customers.

Do you have a phone? How about a pen? Then, you can stand out from your competitors by trying out the three simple tips in the infographic below. Before you do, make sure you make the most out of each opportunity:

  1. First, determine who your best clients are (say, the top 10%, or maybe the highest referrers or regular spenders - you choose).
  2. Second, prepare yourself. Think about past conversations with the client for clues as to what they would be interested in. For example, if you’re an interior designer, think about some designs you’ve seen that remind you of this client's project. Or, if you’re an accountant for a plumbing business, think about a tip you could offer your client about the new budget measures. If you can’t think of anything, then ask them their opinion about something you are doing in your business - after all, they would be best placed to give you that feedback and most people like to think their opinion is valuable.
  3. Thirdly, make it part of your weekly routine to touch base with your clients - perhaps one client, once a week to get you in the habit.

If done properly, those clients you contact will, rightly, understand that you value them. That, in turn, will transform them from names in your database to advocates of your business - now, that’s truly valuable!

Katie Russo