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In order to keep new customers coming in and, more importantly, keeping the customers that you already have coming back, there are some simple  steps you can follow:

1.Always give maximum product quality.

Getting to know what your customers expect and being able to constantly change to meet those needs will keep your customers coming back.  Your customers are satisfied when what they receive in both service and product quality  surpass their expectations.

This is basic stuff.  Many companies try all kinds of gimmicks to keep customers yet they ignore this simple “rule”.  When your customers pay for something, they expect, and deserve, great service and quality products.  That’s what you expect when you shop isn’t it?

2. Under Promise and Over Deliver.

It used to be that it was easy to keep a customer.  Either you were the only store of it’s kind in town or the only one that carried that particular product.  Today with all the competition, both neighboring stores and online customers can be quick to go from one store to another with no regard to loyalty. Today you have to work hard at keeping your customers and that means staying one step ahead of your competition.

Things you can do include offering more value for less cost handle your customers questions and complaints quickly and fairly, get your customers engaged with your company by asking them what they want in a company and how you can better serve them.

3.Communication with your Customers is Key.

Keeping open communication with your customers gives them a feeling of belonging.  They feel more like it is their company.  They will be more loyal and refer more family and friends because they know that you care about them.

Loyal customers means more initial sales and more repeat business.  It also means that they will talk about your company more and that creates more business without the extra expense of advertising. Word of mouth is the most powerful form of advertising and a customer who feels a part of your business will tell his friends.

“Executives are finding that the
winning differentiators is no longer
product or price, but the level of
customer engagement relative to
the competition.”
– Rama Ramaswami, Senior Editor,
Economist Intelligence Unit

Keep your customer involved with your business and make them feel like family and you will have a customer for life.
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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

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.
Contact Mike

It doesn’t have to be a special occasion to give a gift. Gifts can be used year round and given to clients, business partners or customers. They can be used to show appreciation to your clients and employees. The question is how do you choose a gift that is remembered and will strengthen the relationships?

1. Be sure it’s something they will use!
The gifts you give should be useful. Don’t just add to the pile of stress balls, pens and key chains that get lost in the back of their desk drawers. Instead, choose something that your clients will actually use … frequently.

2. How about something with some meaning behind it?
Give a gift that will appeal to some aspect of their life, one that you know about through your relationship with him or her. For example, if you know that they spend a lot of time with their family choose something they can all enjoy. When you pay special attention like this and give a gift with meaning it will go a lot further than a logo emblazoned keychain.

3. Perhaps a gift that is helpful!
Everyone loves to receive gifts, especially a gift they can use to make their lives a little easier. Why not give a business publication or subscription or specialty tool related to their business? If you give a gift that shows that you actually took a minute to put some thought toward it will go a very long way, and will be appreciated.

4. How about some non-business quality time with your client?
Sometimes a social gift is perfect for the occasion. If your client likes football, give him tickets to a Cardinals game. Maybe take them to dinner before the game, and while you will probably talk a little business, you will still be building relationships. Heck, you can even have them invite a spouse or friend so you can get to know the important people in their lives and create an even stronger relationship with them.

5. Have some fun!
On occasion it’s ok to give a plain old fun gift, just keep it tasteful.  They say laughter is the best medicine; it’s also a great way to build relationships. Everyone likes to have some fun, and if it can be incorporated into work, even better. Sharing a laugh is one of the strongest relationship building tools I have found.

Regardless of what kind of gifts you give to build relationships and show appreciation, the whole point is to keep good employees with you and to keep your clients from moving on to the competition as well as to refer business to you.

Remember the gift that helps you further your relationship is a powerful 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

Yesterday was a holiday and I received one of the best gifts that I have ever received, and it wasn’t done on purpose.

My wife hooked up with an old friend that neither of us has seen or talked to in about ten years.  They went out for the evening  and spent about seven hours catching up.

The next morning, we all -my wife and I, our friend and our two children, went out for breakfast.  It was nice for me to see her and catch up as well.

Later in the day our long lost friend and some other friends came over for  dinner.  We barbecued, played card games and made homemade ice cream.

We sat around the patio, joking and talking, enjoying the beautiful weather and each others company.  We ended about 11:00pm and all went home.

After all that your probably wondering what’s this “Best gift ever” is.

The gift was time.  Quality time spent with friends and/or family.  After everyone had left I was sitting there thinking how nice it was to to spend the day, not only celebrating our Nations Independence but to spend it with people who are important in our lives.

So take the time to give the gift that really costs you nothing, yet you can’t put a price on it.  No amount of money can take the place of time well spent with others.

Call a friend, a brother, sister or mother.  Get together and spend some time talking about old times and times to come.  Share your goals and dreams with one another. It truly is the gift that keeps giving.

Without friends, no one would want to live, even if he had all other goods…Aristotle

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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

If you are like most business professionals, you are pulled in many directions on a daily basis. Sometimes even more often. It is easy to get bogged down in the mundane tasks necessary to keep your business moving forward. BEWARE!

Although business must get done, be careful to not get so busy that you lose focus on what’s important – and in case you didn’t know, it’s people and relationships. I attended a luncheon/conference and heard Sharon Lechter, co-author of Rich Dad Poor Dad, say “Focus on your people more than your profits”.

While profits are critical in business, you will never have them without people. It’s the people factor that will multiply the profit factor exponentially at the rate you nurture and build mutually beneficial relationships. Ask yourself this question, “Are you selling or are you serving?”. Be honest with yourself on this one -if you’re not, you are only fooling yourself. People don’t want to be sold, but they are willing to buy from those that put others needs before their own.

I learned through a business networking association for women that I once belonged to that you should “give first, share always”. This phrase really struck a cord with me. If you have ever heard me present for a group, you undoubtedly have heard this phrase too – I find myself repeating it often. When you are willing to give of yourself and share with others you will attract people with the same mindset and it will come back to you ten fold.

We’ve all heard the saying “what goes around comes around”. Often it was from our parents when we did something wrong… It works to our benefit also. The fun part is you never know where it will come back around from. You may have helped someone with an idea to overcome a business challenge and then you unexpectedly got a new client. It happens all the time. Just be sure that what you put out is something you eventually want to get back. Take care of and help others, the rest will take care of itself.
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About The Author:

Sally Liddicoat is a Wife, Mother, Speaker and the Founder & CEO of AttaBoy! Solutions. Her goal is to help businesses increase sales, generate ongoing referrals, strengthen relationships and create loyal customers and employees 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 Sally

While this question has stumped many men for years, it’s something that as a business owner you need to know. Although women may represent half of the total consumer market, they do make or influence the majority of all purchasing decisions.

It’s important to understand that women love to gather information. They want to make an educated decision and will ask as many questions as they feel necessary to do so. Let them take the lead -they are not looking for a quick fix. Remember, women communicate differently than men. They may even tell you several stories to ensure that they are getting their point across. And although it may seem that they are all over the board, they have a complex thought process that is very thorough. While you’re thinking she’s not focused, she’s probably frustrated that you cant keep up. When push comes to shove, don’t do either. Women will make a decision to do business with you when they are good and ready. They have to believe that they are making the best decision.

It’s very important to understand that women value relationships. They will only do business with people they know, like and trust. Trust will come much easier is she feels you are looking to create a long-term relationship versus just make a sale. Be sincere and spend time building a relationship with her. Go above and beyond, but be sure not to patronize her. She will see right through you. Let her know you value her and want to earn her business and her trust. Once you have her trust, your efforts will be rewarded with her dollars, her loyalty and her referrals.

Since women account for 85% of all consumer purchases, it’s definitely worth your time to focus on what’s important to her. To learn more, read this great article from Inc.: The Six Costliest Mistakes You Can Make in Marketing to Women
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About The Author:

Sally Liddicoat is a Wife, Mother, Speaker and the Founder & CEO of AttaBoy! Solutions. Her goal is to help businesses increase sales, generate ongoing referrals, strengthen relationships and create loyal customers and employees 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 Sally