Blog by Brenda Tillmann

Having been born and raised in the Deep South, one of the most hospitable sayings I remember is “Y’all come back now, ya hear”. It was (and still is) as common as “please” and “thank you” and served with a smile on a daily basis from just about anywhere one would find them selves whether it is at church, a neighborhood cookout or a local business. You’ve surely heard that expression while watching a television show or during a movie at some point in your life. But for any business owners, a returning customer is essential to survival.

For the entrepreneur, it’s vitally important to learn how to build a base of customers who return to your business time and again. Here are five tips and strategies to foster loyalty with your customers with style, ease and grace:

1. Be Committed. Being committed doesn’t mean that you have to leave everything else and cater to the needs of just one client and forget about the others. It means being fully invested in their success; dedicate yourself to helping them achieve the results they desire. Go out of your way, do what needs to be done, what you agreed on in the first place, and above all, treat your customer’s as you would want to be treated.

2. Appreciate your customer’s 
You can never thank someone enough if it is sincere. A "thank you" can go a long way. Tell someone you appreciate his or her business in person, on the phone, or better yet, a personal hand-written note by mail. When was the last time you received a note saying, "Thank you for your business. I appreciate the opportunity to have you as my customer"?

3. Provide Quality, Not Just Quantity. Make sure your services are the best value for the money. You do not need to lower your prices simply because your competitors do, make sure your customers know that you are worth the extra money and why. To do this, you must give value first, don’t add it. Put value in your customer’s hands before you even ask them to buy anything from you. Find something you customer’s value and give it to them.

4. Continue To Understand Your Customers Needs. Ok, so you’re good at what you do, but that doesn’t make you the best there is, because there is always someone that can do better than you on your heels. You must stay current with what your customers expect and need from you. It’s a terrible feeling to discover your customers have left because you were not providing what they needed. Needs change, so thrive to make yourself better, sharpen your skills everyday, that’s what makes you money.

5. Keep In Touch. One of the most important, and so often over-looked, ways of getting repeat business is to simply follow-up with your customers. If you’re in the habit of providing a service/product to a customer, then you cash the check, and forget about him or her, I can assure you that you won’t get business from that client again. With a Follow Up Strategy in place, it only takes a minute to send an e-mail, a post-card or give a call to a previous client, tell her you really enjoyed working for her, was a fun project, and that you’re always available to answer any questions she may have. Build a relationship with your clients, get to know them, they’ll come back and be more likely to send business your way.

Bottom line: You cannot afford to lose your hard earned customers. What are you going to do today to make sure they continue to do business with you?

Brenda Tillmann specializes in helping entrepreneurs attract idea clients, build strong client relationships and close more sales in less time with her customized programs and mentoring. If you want to get clients calling you instead of you chasing them, visit her to schedule your complimentary 30-minute 1-on-1 Define Your Sales Success Analysis and Strategy session at http://www.BrendaTillmann.com.