recently watched a TED Talk from Rita Pierson entitled “Every kid needs a champion” about developing relationships with students and the positive impact those relationships can have on student performance. It got me thinking about the relationships between businesses (especially small businesses) and their customers and how similar principles apply.So, here are 5 tips for building better relationships with your customers.1. Meet with your customers face-to-face.
Visit your customers in person at least once a quarter, and try to schedule regular Skype, Google Hangout or some other form of video conferencing more often, e.g. once a month. Conference calls are good, but nothing can replace the personal touch of face-to-face human interaction.
2. Learn about your customer’s interests.
Get to know the activities your customer engages in outside of the office. Learn their kids’ names, hobbies and favorite vacation spots, for example. If you need to, record this information so you can ask about it the next time you meet with them. These small details and your interest in them can build bridges with even the most serious of personalities.
3. Plan non-business interactions.
At least once a year, schedule a nice dinner, golf foursome or other interactive activity with your customer. This “non-office” time creates a more casual environment that will allow you both to get to know each other on a more personal level, and find out those interests we discussed in #2. After all, people feel valued when their true selves are known.
4. Demonstrate that you are on your customer’s side.
There will be times when your company’s goals and your customer’s goals don’t align. You might need to lobby on your customer’s behalf to resolve any issues and develop creative solutions that benefit both entities. Of course, this takes effort and planning on your part, but it will benefit both you and your company in the long run if the relationship with your customer is maintained or even strengthened as a result.
5. Communicate often.
People like to be kept abreast of what’s going. This is especially true of customers waiting for a resolution to a problem or any type of update regarding your product or service. Don’t be afraid of over communicating, as most customers would rather you err on this side versus being kept in the dark. Unless your customer explicitly asks you to limit communication (which has never happened in my experience), update your customers often on the progress of whatever you are working on for them.
Of course, this isn’t a comprehensive list, but doing these five simple things will ensure that you have a good foundational relationship on which to build and grow your business with your customers.
What other customer relationship management techniques do you employ?