How to Sweep Your Clients Off their Feet

Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to sweep your clients off their feet (and no, we’re not talking romance here!). Client relationships are critical for every business to thrive, so it’s important to take time to get to know your clients and pay close attention to their wants and needs. Let’s face it – we’re all suckers for love, so we’ve created a list of our top 5 tips on how to build quality, long-lasting client relationships:

Know your clients. It’s called relationship building, right? Whether it’s just a casual chitchat or a formal introduction, you need to know who your clients are. Get to know their names and their preferences. Become familiar with their lifestyle and make suggestions on what types of products and/or services can contribute to their current routine.

Listen. Always. It’s important to take your clients’ feedback into account. After all, they are the backbone of your business. Make yourself accessible and be open to having conversations that will allow you to address questions, comments and concerns. Treat your clients like a valued partner, and remember that your communication should always be two-way.

Handle issues with love and care. There’s no such thing as a perfect relationship, so you need to be prepared with dealing with problems that may occur. When you are faced with a client complaint, do everything you can to resolve the issue immediately. This shows the client that you care about relieving the situation, and that you want to make things right. The rule of thumb is to always, always apologize first.

Reward loyal clients. Creating a rewards system can make clients feel appreciated. Whether you’re offering a free service or discounts on products, special opportunities for regular customers will keep them coming through the door. This can also become an incentive for new clients to transition into regular clients.

Keep your clients in the loop. If you’re planning on making changes to your store hours, product or service offerings, it’s important to keep your clients up-to-date. Utilize social media to make timely announcements or simply inform clients with any new happenings face-to-face. Just like any relationship, your clients want to know what’s going on.

When you love your customers the right way, they’ll show the love right back. Just remember, love and relationships are a two-way street. You’ve got to give to get back. A successful business relies on happy, loyal clients and there’s no better time than today to start spreading the love.