By Bertrand McHenry
You network because your business thrives on your making contacts and getting new business. Do you have a systematic game plan now that they are clients? Networking doesn’t necessarily end after you’ve courted, woo’ed and landed those prized clients! How often do you stay in touch? Do you continue to develop the relationship? Here are 8 tips for keeping those prized clients and turning them into raving fans:
- Think multiple contacts. Regardless of the level of your relationship with your clients, regular contact is generally good, but remember everyone is busy! Two short meetings or phone calls are more beneficial than one long session. Each meeting becomes an opportunity to strengthen the relationship and to enhance your visibility and recognition.
- Systematic scheduling. Stay in touch with your clients regularly and consistently. Train them to expect to hear from you at certain times. For example, if you usually contact certain customers during the first week of every quarter, they will come to expect it and will budget time for you. If they don’t hear from you, they may actually call to see how you are doing on their own, and that’s great!
- Make each contact lead to the next. Before concluding a meeting or telephone conversation, schedule the date of your next contact. In written correspondence, close by stating the date your customer should expect to hear from you again: “I’ll send you a note or email by the end of the quarter.” Having made the commitment, you’re more likely to follow through. This practice establishes a chain of contacts, with each meeting leading to the next, and earns you the right to stay in regular contact.
- Everything Counts and You are in Total control! You can’t control whether clients will contact you, but you can control when you contact them. Take the initiative; stay in touch with your customers. This is especially important for your most important clients. When clients or customers do not feel cared for – they are more likely to try someone else. By staying in touch with them, you are much more likely to head off potential problems down the road.
- Invite them to networking events. This accomplishes 3 things 1.) You take the relationship to a deeper level when you invite them into your networks and introduce them. 2.) You get to interact with them on a more personal level. 3.) This is a great way to meet with them periodically while getting you out of your cave to network and to meet other people.
- Keep your ears open. Always listen for clues as to their personal interests, projects, and/or hobbies. This gives you the opportunity to periodically send them an article of interest, or a link to a website that may interest them.
- Do you have a Board of Directors? If not I suggest you seriously consider forming one. When you do, consider inviting a few of these prized clients to serve as members on it. The invitation itself is an honor and by serving on your board they will learn a lot about your business and will really invest themselves in the experience. This tip is particularly effective in building loyalty.
- Stick to your plan. Success in anything requires you take regular and systematic action on your plan. You will achieve success in establishing routines with your sources, some of them may begin taking initiative with contact. Don’t let this interfere with your contact schedule — that is, don’t count it when they initiate the call as one of the contacts you’ve scheduled. Make sure you remain the “active ingredient” in the relationship.
Follow these tips systematically and you may just find you have done more than land a few great clients….you’ve created raving fans!
Bertrand McHenry is President/Owner of The Referral Institute of Houston.
Contact him at [email protected] or call him at 281-401-9852 or 281-300-8228
