Client Retention
Fred E. Miller


Have you ever thought you had a great relationship with a client, when suddenly you got
blindsided and found they dropped you as a vendor and went to the competition?

It's not a good feeling. It hurts both financially and personally.

Often, it could have been avoided.

The research shows it is far easier, and less expensive to keep a present customer than
attain a new one.

They will also remain a client longer and be far more profitable.

This doesn't happen by accident, though.

Competition is tough, and getting tougher all the time.

You need to have a plan and constantly work that plan to retain clients.

The big buzz word for that process today is Customer Relationship Management; CRM
for short. It means having a system and process in place for having regular 'touches'
with clients.

These touches can be as simple as an email with something of interest to your client, or,
as elaborate as having a 'Customer Appreciation Day' at their office or yours and having
it catered with food, gifts, and activities for everyone.

For instance, in a previous business I was in, we used to send a Cappuccino/Espresso
machine in for a day, to selected clients, as a way to say, "Thanks a Latté for your
business!" It was always a big hit, and helped maintain our position as a vendor with
them.

The important point is that there has to be a system for this and it has to be done
regularly.

The amount and kind of contact have to be gauged according to the profitability and
potential profitability of the customer. Put time and money where it has the potential to
reap the most rewards.

Here are some 'touches' that can be part of your CRM program:
1. Postcards - with a handwritten messageOne of the neat things about postcards is that they don't have to be
opened! The recipient, and others who handle the mail, immediately see
your message.
The verbiage I frequently use is:
"All of us at Fred Co. appreciate your business
and continued support."
Fred Miller, Owner
PS: Question - Comment - Suggestion?
Please call me!

Often, when making personal visits to clients, I see these cards posted on
their personal bulletin boards.

2. Send something of value, not a gift, but meaningful information, to the
decision maker and/or your contact in the organization.
Email a link to a site that has something of interest for your customer.
Preface with, "I saw this and thought it might apply to your business."
This shows you know and care about their success.

This can also be done via mail with articles cut from newspapers,
magazines, and newsletters, etc.

3. Personal visits are excellent times to tell your customer how much you
appreciate their business.
It's also a good time to ask probing questions like, "Nobody's perfect.
I know we certainly aren't. If you could wave a magic wand and improve
our product/service to you, what would you like to see?
These visits should always be done with an appointment, being sure to
ask for an adequate amount of time to do a good job on your mini-survey.

4. Phone calls are easy and should be part of a regular CRM program.
There should be a specific purpose to the call rather than a 'How are we
Doing?" inquiry.
Maybe you've made, or anticipate making, a change in your product or
service that needs some feedback. Everyone likes to have their opinion
asked because it makes them feel important. Take advantage of this
human trait, and listen!

5. FAXes often have several advantages over emails.
They are already 'printed'.
Others, besides your contact, will see them. This can help your position.
They don't get 'zapped' like email, and may even be posted for others to
view.

6. Surveys can uncover problem areas and opportunities.Since many clients are reluctant to say anything negative to a vendor,
these are sometimes best done by a third party, and someone who can
ask an open-ended question that really probe for feedback, positive and
negative.
One way to do this, which more and more people are familiar with, is the
online survey. One low cost site for doing this is surveymonkey.com.

7. Promotional Products can be very effective tools for reminding clients about
your products and services.
Many professional salespeople who handle ad specialties can be a great
resource for picking just the right item that will have the effect you desire.

8. Holiday Cards are nice to send, but make it a holiday that people don't usually
receive cards for.
Try sending a card for St. Patrick's Day, Thanksgiving, Ground Hog Day, etc.
It will be noticed far more than the traditional Christmas or New Year's
greeting cards.

9. Emails can be used when something of value is conveyed, such as a good way
to use your product or service or information on upgrades you are
implementing.
Always remember the acronym, WIFM: 'What's in it for me', when
communicating with your clients.
If emails aren't focused on helping your client and are overused they're likely
To be considered annoying, and can wind up being automatically deleted when
your name appears as the 'Sender'.

As mentioned before, there has to be a system in place to carry out these 'touches'.

Great software is available today that makes this easy to do. Programs like ACT,
GoldMine, Now-Up-To-Date, and others let you time and date stamp what is done and
said. They have alarms to remind you, email and FAX functions built in, and a variety of
other bells and whistles that, when you have a plan, make it easy to implement.


Fred Miller is the president of FredCo, a Sales Lead Generation Service in St. Louis, MO.

He also speaks on Prospecting, Customer Service, Public Speaking, and Mind Mapping.

He can be reached at Fred@MasterMindMapper.com or 314-517-8772.