Clients are the most precious assets for a business. Without clients,
there can be no business. With poor quality of clients, the business
will be poor and if you manage to get very good clients and retain
their loyalty, your business will only go up and up. This all sounds
very exciting. But it is not easy to get very good clients and all the
more difficult to retain them. After all, whatever you do, your
competition is trying the same and may use better techniques to get
business. Are there any innovative approaches to client relationships?
We are talking about direct sales in this discussion and not about
selling merchandise to large consumer base. For example if you are a
contractor maintaining air conditioners in clients work places. Or a
direct seller of computer hardware to business buyers, and all such
businesses where your sales to individual clients are large, and you
are in direct contact with clients.
The first need is of course client satisfaction. If the client is
satisfied with your response time, after sales service and can depend
on you, pricing may become secondary. All clients do not buy from a
supplier whose sales at the lowest price. If your product cost is a
small percentage of clients total expense or if your product is
essential for your clients, you are onto something good. How to retain
such clients despite all the competition? What are the other factors
than client satisfaction?
Relationship is one such other major factor. Do you relate with your
clients only professionally, or are very good friends? Both these
extremes can hurt. For a long-term business relationship, good
friendship is not good for health of your business. Any problem in the
personal friendship will directly affect your business. What if you
relate to your clients mechanically in a professional style totally
devoid of personal touch? You know the answer yourself.
What is needed is a relationship that does not border on personal
friendships, but crosses mechanical approach. A fine balance between
personal and professional.
