Develop and Maintain Your Customer Relationships

You’re reading this because you want to grow your business. You know that developing customer relationships is one of the most powerful ways of doing so, but it can also be one of the most challenging. So let me give you some advice on how to build those relationships—and keep them.

Build lasting relationships

Relationships are an important part of your business. The more you can build and maintain relationships with your customers, the better off you’ll be in the long run. This means personalizing communication with them and being consistent in how you interact with them on a regular basis. Transparency, honesty, and trustworthiness are important aspects of these relationships as well, so make sure to communicate openly about what’s going on with their project, problems that may arise, and any other information they might need from time to time.

Retention is paramount

It's important to understand that retention is more important than acquisition. In other words, you should be focusing on retaining customers rather than trying to gain new ones. This means that you need to make sure your customer relationships are strong and robust, so they’ll want to come back again and again…and tell others about you too!

Your best way for building loyalty is through providing great service and offering something unique that can’t be found anywhere else. The better experience people have with your brand (service), the more likely they will refer others to you because their experience was so positive. In fact, it's been found that the best way of getting referrals is by earning them or providing a great service!

Personalize each relationship

To go beyond the "one size fits all" approach, you must make each customer feel like they are the most important. Ask about their interests and hobbies. Find out what makes them special, what motivates them, and what drives them to succeed in life.

Ask questions such as:

• What brought you to us today?

• How can we make your experience better?

Ask open-ended questions rather than yes/no questions or interrogative sentences that require only a one-word answer (e.g., “Why did you choose our company?” instead of “Did you go with our services because…”).

Ask for feedback and suggestions. Let them know you want to hear what they have to say and that it is important to you. You will find out what they like about your business as well as what they do not like, which can help you improve upon your company or product offerings.

Go above and beyond for your customers

To get the most out of your customer relationships, you need to go above and beyond for them. Don’t settle for just meeting their expectations but exceeding them by providing exceptional customer service.

• Be generous and kind to your customers. They can be one of your best assets if you allow them to be. Don't just do what's expected in your clean-up process but see what other small things might need to be done. Did you notice their mailbox leans to the left? Do you have a little extra concrete left over? Take a couple of minutes to straighten that mailbox out for your client and you'll have a raving fan for life! It's just that simple.

• It's easy to be stingy with customers when they have a bad attitude or are rude to you and your employees. However, instead of being stingy with these people who may not seem to deserve it, why not instead use generosity as an opportunity? You could offer discounts on future purchases or give away some extra items for free as a gesture of goodwill toward them...and remember that "goodwill" isn't just about making people feel good but also about building stronger relationships that will benefit your business in the long run! Who knows, you may just turn their day around in the process.

There’s no substitute for references, google reviews, and referrals

Many of your customers will be willing to refer your services and products to their friends, relatives, and colleagues. These are the best source of new leads that you may get in the future. Customers who have been referred to you are more likely to buy from you because they already have an idea of what they are getting into with this business relationship. They also trust the person who referred them, which makes it easier for them to trust you as well.

Google reviews play another important role when it comes to building trust with potential customers: they can help clarify any questions about your company or service offerings that might arise during the sales process, thus helping set expectations before the sale is even made!

Building a business requires a lot of work

Building a business requires a lot of work, but the good news is that'll be paid off in long-term customer relationships.

To recap how you can build effective customer relationships, you need to:

• Listen to what your customers want and how they behave

• Identify potential problems before they happen

• Use your knowledge to solve problems and create solutions

• Offer rewards for repeat business or referrals

Conclusion

This is an exciting time for small businesses, and I think we can all agree that it’s important to stay engaged with your customers. The more you put into building those relationships, the more you’ll get out of them—and the happier your customers will be. At SAS, we strive to provide top-notch customer service every single day. It's one of the pillars our company stands on. Part of providing great customer service is offering top-quality products and that's what SAS can help you provide your customers. Call us or stop in to see the wide range of inventory we keep in stock to help you provide that key element of customer service.