5 Ways To Deepen Your Relationships In Today's Economy
The most important single ingredient in the formula of success is knowing how to get along with people. - Theodore Roosevelt
Being a business owner, it is evident that your objective is to promote sales and increase your income. So it becomes very important to maintain cordial relationship with your customers. Do not think that a successful sale is the end of your relationship with that customer? How can we take our relationships to the next level? Here are a few things I think can help improve your relationships with your customers:
1. Over the top helpfulness
Like most businesses it is most likely that you might have other products or services to offer your customer and or prospects that should help them with something. You may even want to promote an up-graded version of the product you have already sold them. This is all great, but the most important thing to remember is that you should always do more than what you are paid to do.
2. Listen twice as much as you speak
Although customers have a wide range of options they prefer to stick to companies with whom they have had a positive experience and built a good rapport with. Relationship building is an integral part of developing your business and you may go about achieving it in a number of ways. one of those ways is listening to your customer when they are communicating with you and make them feel like the world has stopped and they are the only person in the world that matters right now. Imagine how much trust and loyalyt you can build when you truly listen? Don't let your ego get in the way. People who do the most taking don't necessarily have all the answers. True leadership is about listening.
Build two-way communication. When it comes to customer relations, "listening" can be every bit as important as "telling." Use every tool and opportunity to create interaction, including asking for feedback through your Web site and e-newsletters, sending customer surveys (online or offline) and providing online message boards or blogs. Customers who know they're "heard" instantly feel a rapport and a relationship with your company.
3. Networking
Yes, get out from behind your computer and connect with your customers, partners, business community...everyone! When people see you, they remember you. I am pretty sure it is safe to say we all do business with people we like. I know I have not done a great job of this lately, so starting this month on our Facebook page we will be posting a monthly opportunity to have lunch with Adrian and I. The first two people to comment we will buy lunch for you and have enjoy a great lunch and conversation. Sound like fun? Watch for it.
4. Have fun
I want you to stop taking things so serious. Just have fun and don't be so stressed over things. We should enjoy our work and laugh a little. Did you know the average 4 year-old laughs 300 times a day while the average adult laughs about fifteen times a day? Have fun!
5. Be Nice
Along with having fun, it is actually ok and quite cool to be nice. :-) The nice guys have a real opportunity to finish first. In my books, nice guys never finish last. This has been one of our core values from day one.
I just finished reading The Leader Who Had No Title by Robin Sharma and a lot of this post can be attributed to what I learned from reading this book, along with how we have operated Evolving Solutions over the last 9+ years.
What do you think? How do you build your relationships with your customers?
Watch for a future post as I discuss social media and the impact it has on your relationships and your social currency.








