Some Tips to Build Client Relationships
Firstly, may we wish you the compliments of the season and hope that the New Year brings all that you could possibly wish for yourself and your family.
Secondly, I know that the mad Christmas rush will have steamrollered you by now so I thought that I'd give you something you can leave till the New Year. Here are a few suggestions for building client, patient or customer relationships that I originally collected for accounting and legal firms but they are easily transposable to any type of business.
So, early in the New Year just pick out a couple you can use in your business and put them into action. Just watch how well they work!
- Prior to the end of the day circulate a list of clients who have appointments the next day so that everybody in the office can greet them by name. Everyone loves the sound of their own name and being referred to by name makes people feel good.
- Improve project turnaround time, but make your clients aware that you are specifically doing the work quicker for them. Otherwise they'll just assume that that's the time it normally takes. They'll be delighted to have their work done sooner… and save money.
- Return phone calls faster. Clients want to speak to you now not in 3 days. And because so many professionals are tardy in this area you'll really set yourself apart from the pack!
- Give your clients the choice of where they'd like to meet you. They may like to meet at their office occasionally or even go out for a coffee at that "trendy new place."
- Have on site parking for your clients or, better still, reserve a spot for them and have a chalkboard sign saying "Reserved for Miss So & So." If you're in an area where parking is at a premium provide them with vouchers for the car park or reimburse parking meter costs. Your Director of First Impressions should attend to this as soon as they arrive (or better still, mail the voucher or parking meter coins, to them so that they get them the day before).
- Keep a note of your clients' birthdays and other important dates in their lives. They'll be terribly impressed when they receive your hand-signed card on those special days. Interestingly, you'd reckon that every insurance salesperson would do birthday cards. The staggering truth is that only about 6% of them do!
- Collect industry information concerning your clients. Whenever you see something in the paper or in a magazine of relevance to your clients' business, cut it out and send it to them or keep it on file until the next time you meet. They'll appreciate the information and be impressed that you thought of them.
- Remember the "how's things" phone call. That's the call you make when clients don't expect it. About 60% of the time it'll generate you business you may not have got and, rest assured, 100% of the time it'll generate you huge goodwill.
- Create a personal preferences database. For example, as you find out the way clients like their tea and coffee, put it into the database so that you don't have to ask them again.
- If you learn that a client's had an illness or an accident make sure you that, at the very least, you send them a get well card.
- Introduce each of your clients to your other clients. Encourage them to network and draw attention to the areas of mutual business interest between them.
- Let clients know what your other clients do. Encourage them to use each other's services and products. This will not only help your clients build their businesses but it will help build business for you because you'll have a bunch of happy clients.
These ideas are simple and certainly don't cost much to do. Get the enthusiastic support of your team by giving them ownership of the ideas and the responsibility to implement them. Your clients will be delighted!
Have a f-a-n-t-a-s-t-i-c day... Winno
Business Growth Centre
ABN: 96 709 037 261
Postal: 110 Coleman Road, Boronia, Vic, 3155, Australia
Phone: +613 9887 5511 Fax: +613 9887 5581
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