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Almost every business owner or manager will tell you that having loyal customers is the key to a successful business.  If that’s true then what are they doing to keep those customers coming back?

Most will tell you that they send emails or newsletters on a regular basis to keep in touch.  Others will say that they use a discount program to show their appreciation.

It’s not to say that these are bad things but they are not enough.  To create loyalty and get your customer engaged with you takes effort and planning.  Creating strong relationships is one of the most critical ways to retain more of your customers and grow your business faster because happy customers` will use you more and refer friends which will give you a tremendous competitive edge over your competitions.

Here are some statistics showing that challenges that businesses face today:

• Each year the average company loses 10-15% of its customer base
– Bain & Company
• “84% of customers who leave, do so because of poor service”
– Forum Corp
• “A typical business only hears from 4% of its dissatisfied customers—the other 96% leave, 91% for good”
– Jim Barnes, “Secrets of CRM”

By understanding why your customers are leaving you and how you can retain them is priceless information.  The best way to find out what they want is to ask them, read the article ” You Just Need To Ask ” 11/19/2010

The sooner you know what makes your customers tick, the sooner you can begin to cultivate a strong and long lasting relationship to keep your business alive in any economy.

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About The Author:

	Mike Liddicoat is a Husband, Father, Speaker and the Sales & Marketing Director of AttaBoy! Solutions. His goal is to help businesses maintain relationships, ensure future business and acquire new referrals through appreciation marketing. Throughout this blog you can sign up for updates, news, special offers, discounts and more. So take a look around, leave a comment or two and enjoy.
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So, the Holiday Season is upon us.  We start to think about all the people we need to get gifts for, kids, grand kids, aunts, uncles, parents, the list seems endless.

How do we determine what to get those people, especially when we may not see them too often and don’t really know their likes or dislikes?  For some of those people on your list you probably know enough about them that you have a pretty good idea of what they want or need.  For the others you could guess, but the best way is to ask.  Ask their parents or spouses or friends.

The most important thing is to put some thought into what you buy.  To just go out and grab something off the shelf because you need to get them something is a waist of your money and they won’t appreciate it.  I know I know, it’s the thought that counts, right?  Wrong!  The only thought that counts is if they think you actually cared about what you were getting them.

Here’s my thought.  Do a little home work and find out what your recipient wants or could use.  Giving something that they want but would never buy for themselves or something that they can use as a family is always a good route to take.  Take the time to know their tastes, decoration style and hobbies.

Let me tell you a story.  One year my wife and I were given an Asian style vase.  It was colorful and beautiful but it did not go with ANYTHING we had in our home.  I was ready to pack it in the back of a closet but my wife, bless her heart, chose to put it on a shelf next to some other nick nacks.  As you have probably guessed it came from someone on her side of the family.  I would have appreciated a simple card more than the vase because the card would have taken some though and consideration while the vase appeared to be something that was just grabbed at the last minute.

It is the thought that counts, the recipients thoughts.  Do they think you really cared or think you were just grabbing any old thing to give to them so you didn’t show up empty handed?

This year take time to put thought and consideration in the gifts you give, be it for family, friend or business.  Your thoughtfulness will be appreciated.

Have a Happy Holiday.
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About The Author:

	Mike Liddicoat is a Husband, Father, Speaker and the Sales & Marketing Director of AttaBoy! Solutions. His goal is to help businesses maintain relationships, ensure future business and acquire new referrals through appreciation marketing. Throughout this blog you can sign up for updates, news, special offers, discounts and more. So take a look around, leave a comment or two and enjoy.
Contact Mike

Oh no, it’s happened again, you have been invited to another wedding. The first thing that goes through my mind is “What the heck am I going to get them?” It’s true that a lot of couples do a gift registry at local high dollar stores, but this doesn’t mean that you have to shop only at those locations or stick to the list they have created. On the contrary, while it might be nice to help them complete that china set that will never be used or adorn their counter with that 27 slice toaster, that list is not a rule it’s more of a guideline.

Some of the best gifts that I have received or given were ones that came from the heart. Gifts that showed that some thought was behind it, that you found something unique that showed you were wishing them a happy life together.

Now don’t think you have to spend every waking hour and several weeks, disrupting your whole life just to find the perfect gift. Just the opposite, with the ease and convenience of on-line shopping you can order, have it sent to you or the couple and in some cases even have it gift wrapped for you all while sitting in your office having coffee.

Remember, you should bring the gift to the wedding or reception. If you are not able to attend the wedding it is still a good idea to send a gift.
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About The Author:

	Mike Liddicoat is a Husband, Father, Speaker and the Sales & Marketing Director of AttaBoy! Solutions. His goal is to help businesses maintain relationships, ensure future business and acquire new referrals through appreciation marketing. Throughout this blog you can sign up for updates, news, special offers, discounts and more. So take a look around, leave a comment or two and enjoy.
Contact Mike

As your appreciation grows for those you do business with, you are probably thinking, “I do a lot of business with whom ever. “What should I get them to show my appreciation?”

Your first thought is probably to get him or her something expensive and flamboyant, to make sure they know how much you appreciate them. Get that thought out of your head.  You should never give an expensive gift just to try to win points.  If you had a sale or wrote a contract for several  thousand or millions of dollars, sure an expensive gift would be great but that’s the only time.

Here are a couple great rules you can gift by:

• Check the policy of the company. For some companies it is totally a no-no to give their employees gifts. If that’s the case, respect their company’s rules. Send them a card or hand written thank you, it will mean a lot to them.

• Even if the company allows gifts, don’t go crazy. Expensive gifts make company representatives nervous. Many think that accepting a high-priced gift obligates them to continue doing business with you. There are many inexpensive yet very nice gifts that say “Thank You” without making them nervous.
• DO NOT send gifts with corporate logos (pens, coffee mugs, Post-It notes). They will remember who the gift is from without your company name screaming at them.

The best thing you can do is put some thought behind what you give. Give something you wouldn’t mind getting your self.  Don’t just grab any old thing and though you don’t want to spend a fortune, don’t be cheap either.  The quality of the gift you give says a lot about you and your company.  A good quality gift that you put thought into will say “We appreciate your business”.  Also, be sure you attach a nice card with it.
Following some simple, common sense guidelines for gift giving will take you a long way in both business and personal situations that call for gifts.
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About The Author:

	Mike Liddicoat is a Husband, Father, Speaker and the Sales & Marketing Director of AttaBoy! Solutions. His goal is to help businesses maintain relationships, ensure future business and acquire new referrals through appreciation marketing. Throughout this blog you can sign up for updates, news, special offers, discounts and more. So take a look around, leave a comment or two and enjoy.
Contact Mike

With Father’s Day drawing near it doesn’t mean you have to spend a lot, or any money, to show dad that he is appreciated. It’s a perfect time to tell Dad how much you care. Here are some ways for the kids to save money for dad’s special day:

Father’s Day CD

How about this, take some time and you and the kids make a collection of some of dad’s favorite music. Then burn them onto a CD and create a custom label and name it something fun like “Disco Dad’s Greatest Hits”. You will have fun and he will get a kick out of it.

Fun Dad Coupons

What are some of the things dad does around the house? Perhaps you can create some personalized hand decorated, or computer generated coupons to give him for things like: a ten minute massage, mowing the lawn, walking the dog, cleaning the garage, dad’s night to pick a movie, etc. You can have a lot of fun with this, coloring, gluing pictures or glitter, using crayons or markers or creating a coupon book to keep them in.

Dad’s Fun Day

Plan out a fun day for dad. Playing family games, working on a family project, going swimming, playing catch, whatever you know dad will enjoy doing but he never seems to make the time to do. Quality family time is a gift any dad will love.
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About The Author:

	Mike Liddicoat is a Husband, Father, Speaker and the Sales & Marketing Director of AttaBoy! Solutions. His goal is to help businesses maintain relationships, ensure future business and acquire new referrals through appreciation marketing. Throughout this blog you can sign up for updates, news, special offers, discounts and more. So take a look around, leave a comment or two and enjoy.
Contact Mike

People are creatures of habit -they really do like to go back to the same place whenever possible. There is a certain comfort in the familiar. So why would your customer want to leave you and buy from someone else?

Here are 4 possible reasons:

• They are unhappy with the way that they are treated
• They are unhappy with the price
• They are unhappy with the product/service or
• They die, and are no longer buying anywhere

A poor manager or small thinking owner focuses on the second reason and believes that if we just cut our price below our competitor our customers will never leave. However, the main reason for most businesses is that the customers are unhappy with the way they are treated.  How can that be you say? Think about your own buying experience. You don’t shop at the cheapest place. You don’t just look for bargains. You look for a company that treats you fairly, appreciates you, offers great customer service, has helpful and friendly employees and lets you know that you are important to them, even if you spend more than at the store across the street.

So what can you do to create a relationship with your customers so that they want to come back to you?

First, communicate with them. Find out who they are, what they expect from your business. Keep a database of information and gather as much information as possible. Email is one of the best ways to not only stay in touch but to gather other valuable information.

Next, don’t be worried about price. Earn their respect. Treat them as if your business depends on them (which it does). Keep your prices fair and your customers will stay even if you aren’t the cheapest guy in town. Be sure all your customer service people are trained on how to PROPERLY deal with customers and that they have the authority to make decisions pertaining to customer issues.

Build equity in your customer service and don’t stress price. If your friend helps you carry heavy furniture upstairs in your house, you would never think of offering him money. You will offer him a beer, a soda or some other food or drink and have a friendly conversation. This is what your customers want too. They want to be treated like a good neighbor – a good friend. Provide rewards for large purchases and for being a loyal customer. Send thank you notes, give business gifts, offer special discount to them. In short, make it expensive for them to leave you.

Just like you, your customers want to feel like they are important.  Be sure that your staff always makes them feel good about their visit, either in person or on-line.  If you take your customers for granted you will soon see them buying from your competitor because he has learned to treat them like friends and he shows them that he values their business. Your customers stop buying from you when you stop showing them you care and stop treating them like they want and expect to be treated. Make your customers feel good about doing business with you and they will always come back.

About The Author:

	Mike Liddicoat is a Husband, Father, Speaker and the Sales & Marketing Director of AttaBoy! Solutions. His goal is to help businesses maintain relationships, ensure future business and acquire new referrals through appreciation marketing. Throughout this blog you can sign up for updates, news, special offers, discounts and more. So take a look around, leave a comment or two and enjoy.
Contact Mike