Building Customer Relationships by Staying in Contact

Do your customers see you often enough? Do you have a regular system of contact that makes sure your products and services are consistently in front of your customers? Businesses lose out on more sales than they know because their customers forget about them.

Experts say it takes 7 contacts to turn someone from a stranger into a customer. But don?t stop making contact after you?ve made the first sale. The first sale should be the foundation for a real relationship between you and your customers. And relationship selling is in many ways the easiest: you know the customers?needs, often before they do, and your customers feel comfortable going to you when they have needs.

I believe a certain amount of our business should come just because we are the most visible vendor on our customers? radar. We keep our products and services in front of customers, which makes us the easiest and most convenient choice. Here are a few ways you can keep your business in your customers? line of sight:

1) Acknowledge customer milestones. When something important happens for a customer, congratulate them. Did they successfully introduce a new product into the market? Did their corporate VP get an award for industry excellence? These are great opportunities to show these customers that you are paying attention to what?s important to them.

2) Keep them informed about your company?s big events. Are you putting out a product that one of your potential customers might need? Have you expanded your service so that your customer can get product sooner than before? Customers can?t take advantage of your superior product or service unless they know about it. Use some sort of regular communication, like a newsletter, to let your customers know what you have to offer.

3) Technology is your friend! Many companies are having success with newer forms of communication, like blogs and podcasts. The secrets for using these to reach customers are simple: pick topics that interest your customers, and keep your posts and podcasts short, informative, and on topic.

4) Short and simple is good. Not every contact with your customers needs to be elaborate and involved. A simple phone call or written note lets your customers know you have them in mind. It?s better to have more, regular contact than more involved contact that makes a bigger impression.

Woody Allen was right when he said, ?Eighty percent of success is showing up.? If your company keeps ?showing up,? you are likely to get business that your competitors miss. There are many ways to stay in touch. Just be sure you do it consistently. Keep reminding your customers that you are uniquely qualified to solve their problems. They?ll come to you first for solutions!

Richard Jarman works with small and medium-sized businesses who aspire to communicate with their target audience. He helps clients highlight their company's unique strengths, so they can attract and keep customers. See what he can do to improve your business! Visit his web site today at http://www.jarmanbusinesswriting.com. Sign up for the free newsletter, The Next Step, and receive the special report, Essential Keys to Successfully Marketing to Business.