Do You Stay In Touch With Customers and Clients ?
Dee Cohen, LCSW
October 07, 2008
Do you have a method for keeping in touch with your customers and clients? It is easy today for people to want to shop via the internet or drive within a few miles of their homes to save money. Convenience often becomes a strong motivator due to the business of one's schedule. People that have been to your shop , office or business may have been pleased but may have gone elsewhere subsequently for a variety of reasons.
For instance, recently I needed to see a dermatologist and forgot the name of the person I saw a year ago so picked a different doctor. Other reasons people may change locations and providers could be getting a coupon in the mail from someone else, a new business opening up right in their neighborhood, seeing an internet advertisement or not feeling enough personal attention in the last visit.
As a social worker, I hear all the time from clients their dissatisfaction due to getting too short a doctor's appointment, feeling rushed at the cash register, not having their calls returned by their lawyer or feeling their needs weren't met.
Customer care and service should be primary. Try to think about how you'd treat your sister or a close friend if they came in to your office or shop. Building relationships is important and genuine concern for another person makes someone feel they matter. A Tibetan monk said that when he meets people he always keeps in mind that their happiness matters.
Keep a record of the name, address and e-mail of people that come to your office or shop and ask people if it's okay to send them an e-mail newsletter of specials and tips. You can sign up to run a free newsletter at sites such as getresponse.com . Once a month you can send out relevant tips and offer a special. This should be related to your niche. For instance, if you are a chiropracter sending out tips to avoid hurting your back or driving safely after a neck injury would be of interest to your clients. For a computer store, write a review comparing different spyware programs and offer a coupon for a discount in your newsletter.
At the holidays sending out an inexpensive free gift or booklet is a good way to stay in touch with your customers or clients. You can include a sales page brochure and a few business cards with it so people have your contact information. I received a coffee cup from an online company and that meant a lot to me. People complain often in therapy about how people don't seem to care today. Be different and let people know you do.
For instance, recently I needed to see a dermatologist and forgot the name of the person I saw a year ago so picked a different doctor. Other reasons people may change locations and providers could be getting a coupon in the mail from someone else, a new business opening up right in their neighborhood, seeing an internet advertisement or not feeling enough personal attention in the last visit.
As a social worker, I hear all the time from clients their dissatisfaction due to getting too short a doctor's appointment, feeling rushed at the cash register, not having their calls returned by their lawyer or feeling their needs weren't met.
Customer care and service should be primary. Try to think about how you'd treat your sister or a close friend if they came in to your office or shop. Building relationships is important and genuine concern for another person makes someone feel they matter. A Tibetan monk said that when he meets people he always keeps in mind that their happiness matters.
Keep a record of the name, address and e-mail of people that come to your office or shop and ask people if it's okay to send them an e-mail newsletter of specials and tips. You can sign up to run a free newsletter at sites such as getresponse.com . Once a month you can send out relevant tips and offer a special. This should be related to your niche. For instance, if you are a chiropracter sending out tips to avoid hurting your back or driving safely after a neck injury would be of interest to your clients. For a computer store, write a review comparing different spyware programs and offer a coupon for a discount in your newsletter.
At the holidays sending out an inexpensive free gift or booklet is a good way to stay in touch with your customers or clients. You can include a sales page brochure and a few business cards with it so people have your contact information. I received a coffee cup from an online company and that meant a lot to me. People complain often in therapy about how people don't seem to care today. Be different and let people know you do.
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