1) Focus your marketing on existing clients. Your current customers have
already overcome certain hurdles to doing businesswith you and are more
likely to buy from you again. Focus most of your time, efforts, and
resources on better serving your current clients. Go deeper rather than
wider.
2) Be consistent in your approach and interactions. Treat your clients
with honesty, humor, and respect and maintain this over time. Present a
consistent, solid, and professional style to your clients - one that
they can grow to depend on.
3) Follow through on your commitments to them. If you promise to send
information or to follow up, be sure to do this. You'd be surprised at
how many professionals promise to send information, but then never do.
You will gain loyalty and trust by doing what
you say you will do.
4) Allow yourself to connect with them. Find out about their lives,
their hopes, goals, and desired outcomes. Ask questions that encourage a
deeper sense of shared understanding. The greater the level of
connection, the greater the mutual satisfaction.
5) Have fun. It's easy to get caught up in goals, outcomes, deliverable
and all of these are, of course, vitally important.
Clients do want outcomes. Also, they want to work with people who enjoy
what they do. The more fun you can have while providing strong outcomes,
the longer your clients will stay.
6) Position yourself as a resource for life . I tell all my clients, at
the beginning, that I want to be their coach/consultant for life . That
means they can always come back to work with me no matter how much time
has passed between our meetings. This strategy has worked extremely well
as I often get calls from clients from four, five and six years ago -
whenever they are in need of a goals tune-up. Clients appreciate knowing
they can come back whenever they choose.
7) Ask for feedback and input. At some intervals within the working
relationship, solicit feedback and input. Ask your
clients how they feel about working with you and ask if they have
suggestions for how the working relationship or outcomes can be
improved. Asking for their ideas shows that you care about their
opinions and value their contributions.
8) Share resources. Do you know of a good book that your client might
benefit from reading? Tell him about it. Do you have the name of someone
who could help your client move ahead on her
businessplan? Tell her about it. Sharing resources is a terrific way to
build loyalty and satisfaction.
9 Reward them for staying on. You might consider implementing some kind
of loyalty or perks program, where your long-term clients are rewarded
for staying on. You might offer them gifts, products, or services for a
certain level of ongoing participation with your business . These work
for things like coffee, office supplies, and groceries, so why not in
your business , too?
10) Keep learning. The more you focus on gaining new knowledge, new
skills, and new experiences, the more you have to offer your clients.
The more you have to offer, the more they will benefit.
The more they benefit, the longer they stay. Keep focused on your own
professional growth and learning - make this a priority. Both you - and
your clients - will gain.
Implement these ten tips for client retention, and you too, will have a
businessthat continues to grow now and thrive into the
future.
(c) 2005, Dr. Rachna D. Jain. All rights in all
media reserved.
Dr. Rachna D. Jain is a sales/marketing consultant and the author of
"177 Low Cost Ideas to Successfully Market Your Professional Service
Business". She shares even more profitable
insights through her monthly newsletter & daily blog. To learn how you
can make more money and have more fun in your business , please visit
http://www.SalesAndMarketingCoach.com
|
