4 Ways to Build Better Client Relationships

Every company's greatest assets are its customers, because without customers there is no company. ~ Michael LeBoeuf
Janet Barclay

Janet Barclay

A former professional organizer, I now eliminate stress for my clients by hosting, monitoring, and maintaining their WordPress sites so they don't have to worry about security, downtime or performance issues. When I'm away from my desk, I enjoy reading, photography, watching movies, and cooking.

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As International Customer Loyalty Month, April is a great time to focus on the clients who recommend you to others or use your services on a regular basis. They are the life blood of your business! To generate even more repeat business and referrals, you owe it to yourself to establish stronger relationships with all of your clients.

One of the current trends in customer relationship management (CRM) is getting to know more about your clients, and using that insight to engage with them more often and more meaningfully, reports CRMTrends. A number of tools are available to help you get organized and create a plan to build better client relationships and ultimately, increase your return on investment. You’re probably using some of them already.

Get Organized

Organize all of your contacts so they can be accessed from one place, rather than spread out through various services. Create one master contact file using whatever program works best for you. I like Outlook, but many people simply use Google—it syncs with all mobile devices, is easy to edit, and a number of third-party apps work well with Gmail and Google Contacts.

Once you’ve done this, import your contacts from your various social networks and email programs into the service. Once your contacts are organized in one place, sync the database with your Android or iOS devices, so you can easily access them on the go.

Keep Track of Birthdays

You don’t want to forget the birthdays of your friends and family members, but what about your clients? Take time to remember them on their special day—it’s a great way to enhance the relationship. Facebook is the social networking tool that many of us look to for birthdays, and you can import that information right into your Google or Apple Calendar.

To do this, log into Facebook and go to the Events page. In the settings gear at the upper right-hand corner of the page, click “Export” to export your friends’ birthdays. Set up alerts to be notified a few days ahead of time. For special clients, take it one step further and order flowers. This gesture is sure to be remembered, and it will help build rapport and loyalty with them.

Opt-in Newsletters

Opt-in newsletters are still important for building better client relationships and reaching prospects, but it’s essential to provide value in each and every one to keep them reading and wanting more. Consider your audience and write about something that is sure to pique their interest, rather than focusing on thinly veiled sales attempts. Try one of these email newsletter services to get started – my personal favorite is MailChimp.

SendOutCards

No matter how great your content is or how strategically you place that opt-in form, not everyone is going to sign up. Use a program like SendOutCards to stay in touch while improving the quality and quantity of your client relationships. You can create a personalized card that includes a photo for a single recipient, or send it to hundreds using your contact list.

SendOutCards can be tailored to read, “Thank you for your business,” “Thank you for taking the time to meet with me,” “Happy birthday,” or for any reason at all. This can help keep your name on the top of your clients’ minds and stand out from your competitors. You can even create a campaign that automatically sends promotional cards, thank you cards, holiday cards and more.

How do you build relationships with your clients?

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3 Comments

  1. Linda Samuels Linda Samuels on April 22, 2014 at 9:22 am

    Janet- You always have the best information. I didn’t know it was International Customer Loyalty Month. There are many things that I do to build relationships and let my clients know that I appreciate and care about them.

    One of the recent additions to the mix was creating a “Client Loyalty Program,” an ongoing, automatic program, which gives Oh, So Organized! clients $100 off after every 5 organizing visits.

    It’s another way of expressing gratitude for their loyalty and trust.

    • Janet Barclay on April 22, 2014 at 3:51 pm

      That’s a great program, Linda – rewarding your loyal clients by offering them an incentive to remain so! We used to have something similar when we offered hourly packages. Now we need to come up with something new… thanks for planting the thought in my head. 🙂

      • Linda Samuels Linda Samuels on April 23, 2014 at 4:23 pm

        You’re welcome. Glad to seed-plant. After all, it IS spring. I’m sure you’ll figure out a program that makes sense for you. And now that you’ve written about it, I can imagine that your wheels are turning.

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