Remember your current customers

Okay, you've done the hard work when out networking, you've built the contacts, met with them regularly, passed them business and now, at long last, they've become customers of yours. Well done! That means you don't need worry about them any more, right?

WRONG!

Just because someone is now using your service or buying your product doesn't mean you can forget all about them. Well, of course, you can, but there's a difference between having a satisfied customer and an ecstatic customer, and that is all down to how you continue to treat them.

If you have business customers you should still be looking for work for them from your other contacts, friends, etc.

If they are private individuals then look to see if there is anything you can do to improve their experience when dealing with your business or buying from you.

If a customer has a complaint then see what you can do to rectify the situation as quickly as possible, don't just respond with "Our Terms and Conditions clearly state...", this will only antagonise them. Occasionally the best way to deal with the situation is simply to give them a refund and politely suggest they purchase elsewhere, especially if they are being particularly troublesome (we've all had customers like this), but that should be a last resort, see if there is not a better solution that leaves everyone happy.

Of course, the above still applies to business customers as well.

Doing what you can to find more work for business customers and to help all customers get a better experience when dealing with your firm gives you three main advantages:

• Your firm gets a great reputation for customer service
• Those customers will come back every time they need your products or service (even if you are not the cheapest on the market)
• They will recommend you to others - which is the best advertisement any business can have.

With social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, etc., when people post up a good or bad review of a firm it is seen by a much wider audience than if they just told their friends and family.

So, even if someone is causing you trouble, don't think of how how little they maybe spending with you, remember how many people they may know on the internet who could be potential buyers and who may spend a lot more.

Keep customers and they will come back year after year and recommend you to people they know and meet. It's a win/win relationship.