It costs much more to land a new client than it does to retain an existing one. Depending on who you ask, the additional cost may be anywhere from three to thirty times as much, but there’s no questioning the value of customer retention.

Neerav Mehta has applied his commitment to client satisfaction to successfully grow his San Francisco-based Drupal development firm, Red Crackle, and he’s kindly offered to share some of his best practices with us here today.

Let’s start this article with an awesome fact – did you know that more than 500,000 small businesses are launched in the USA every month?

Now here’s a dampener – more businesses are shut down than launched every month! A company’s closure signals the end of an entrepreneurial dream.

Business failure can be attributed to a variety of reasons. Foremost among these reasons is the inability to build a personal connection with clients.

Here is an unwritten fact – an entrepreneur’s best friend is a satisfied client. The more, the merrier! The focus of this article is to raise thought-provoking questions to help you build a strong and long-lasting relationship with clients. The “services” mentioned in this article can refer to a product or a bouquet of products.

1. Why should clients seek your services?

Most entrepreneurs launch a great product and expect customers to queue at their doorsteps. Things don’t work that way.

You will have to keep the following things in mind:

Your target audience –

• may already be purchasing a similar product from a competitor
• may already have a relationship based on trust with a competitor
• may prefer to wait till he hears favorable reviews before trying your services out

In short, the cards are stacked against those who launched a product late in the market.

Ask yourself this question:

“Do I have a strong USP to help me win new clients?”

Your answer to the above question will help you determine how good your product is. It will help you prepare for the questions encountered below.

2. What does a client look for in your services?

It’s important to offer a service that is EXACTLY what your client wants. For this, you will have to thoroughly analyze competition with the following questions:

1. Which competitor’s service is most popularly sought by clients? (How different is it from yours?)
2. What pricing is usually associated with such a service? (How close are you to that pricing?)
3. How widely available is your service? (Is it accessible to a widely spread demographic?)

An analysis of the above questions will shed some light on desirable traits associated with services similar to yours. Sit with your team and prepare a product positioning strategy to attract as many clients as you can.

The final product should feature an amalgamation of traits from the finest services in the domain.

3. How friendly is your business?

Drop everything and spare a thought for the employees interacting with your clients. How friendly are they? Are they willing to go the extra mile to keep clients happy? They should accept feedback (positive and negative) and immediately resolve complaints.

Make sure your customer representatives establish strong emotional and personal relationships with clients – whether it’s on social media, face-to-face meetings or through phone calls.

4. Do you surprise clients often?

Clients love surprises, especially when they stand to gain monetary benefits. Keep surprising them with offers and discounts so they make maximum savings with every purchase.

Invest in personalized giveaways such as pens, bags and mugs – use them as business gifts to help customers remember your brand often.

5. How often do you make clients feel special?

Everybody loves to feel pampered and taken care of. It’s the same with clients. Here are a few tips to ensure they feel special:

• Pay total attention when they talk by being a good listener. Show your interest in the conversation by asking relevant questions
• Perform regular follow ups to show that you remember them often
• Send greetings to show you remember them during important holidays such as Christmas and Thanksgiving.

I hope you found this article useful. I recommend that you jot down the 5 main questions featured in this article and provide answers of your own. Your answers will give you fabulous insights on the steps you will have to take to ensure clients fall in love with your services.

What are your thoughts on client satisfaction? Do share them with me in the comment box below!

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