The Customer Connection: How To Get It

Posted: Mar 19, 2011 |Comments: 0 |

The primary purpose of a joint venture is to build your customer base by exposing your company to a wider range of targeted potential customers. However, the bulk of a company's profits come from repeat business, which means connecting with your customers in a way that keeps them coming back for more. We have a few ideas on how to make and keep a customer connection that keeps on giving to your bottom line.

Communication is Key

If you truly want to connect with your current customers, the first step is to talk to them regularly. Greet them by name when they walk into your business and ask how they are doing. Learn the names of their children, pets or favorite sports teams. Ask what they think about your business and what they would change if they could. These regular exchanges don't have to take a lot of time and effort, but they can make the world of difference in how often a customer chooses your company for his business.

Listen to Them

Customers will provide plenty of feedback about the quality of your business, and all you have to do is listen to what they have to say. However, active listening is a skill that is cultivated through use and practice. Active listening involves tuning into your customer's words and repeating their meaning back to ensure there are no misunderstandings.

During the active listening process, you should be able to identify any potential needs your customer might have and provide effective solutions to those needs to enhance your customer's satisfaction with your business.

Provide Incentives

Everyone likes to be appreciated, and your customers are no exception. Show them what their business means to you by scheduling periodic customer appreciation events. It might be coffee and donuts or a complete meal. You might also do a frequent customer mailing that includes special discounts only available to current clients or provide a special sale open only to those special people. If your cash is limited, get creative in your appreciation offerings, such as a special express line for current customers or a customer card that offers a discount after so many visits to your establishment.

Solicit Feedback

Some companies use customer surveys, while others take a less formal approach and simply ask customers what they like and don't like about your business. You can have staff do follow-up calls after working with customers or send a mailing asking for customer feedback. To ensure you get a good response from your request, provide a small incentive with the survey, such as a discount on the next visit after the survey is returned. You might be surprised at how much you can learn about your company by simply asking the people who patronize it most.

Customer connections are the most effective way to build a loyal customer base and a healthy bottom line. By taking the time to forge professional relationships with the people who patronize your business most, you are more likely to keep those customers satisfied and coming back for more.

Questions and Answers

Ask
200 Characters left
Rate this Article
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 0 vote(s)
    Feedback
    Print
    Re-Publish
    Source:  http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/the-customer-connection-how-to-get-it-4438783.html

    Article Tags:

    joint ventures

    ,

    joint venture marketing

    ,

    joint venture partners

    ,

    marketing strategies

    Dee Doanes

    http://www.deedoanes.com Marketing Your Business: Facts and Questions about Internet Marketing and How Free Marketing Tips Will Make You Money. Free Marketing Tips Make You Money.

    By: Dee Doanesl Internet> Internet Marketingl Nov 07, 2009
    Meredith Liepelt

    Partnership Marketing means a joint venture with another business for a mutually beneficial outcome. By combining efforts into one synergistic move can not only boost your bottomline, but attract to you ideal clients. Discussed are 5 types of partnerships that can be established to help with your goal of attracting more business with the right type of client. It starts with brainstorming ideas with these partners and putting it into action!

    By: Meredith Liepeltl Businessl Sep 03, 2009

    Would you like to learn about Instant JV System Succsess Review? Do you expect to learn more regarding the reputation of Crist Rempel? Or is Instant JV System Succsess Scam or genuine product? You will find the answers within this honest review!

    By: mjreviewl Business> Managementl May 13, 2011
    Christian Fea

    The best part about developing joint ventures is the ability to create unique strategies to get new clients from the existing client base of the joint venture partner or through new marketing activities together. Some companies mistakenly, simply create a basic press release and expect the new partner to come up with all of the strategies and marketing materials to market the partnership.

    By: Christian Feal Business> Entrepreneurshipl Oct 19, 2011
    Christian Fea

    You may have heard about the popularity of joint ventures today. You may have heard how business owners are using them to build a targeted market base and increase profits. However, you just aren't completely sure whether your own business is ready to undertake a joint venture partnership.

    By: Christian Feal Businessl Apr 29, 2011

    Joint ventures represent an amazing business opportunity capable of boosting your profits in record time. Considered the most powerful method to skyrocket sales within a very short time, joint ventures require finding a reputable and reliable partner.

    By: Suresh Kumarl Internet> Affiliate Programsl Jul 19, 2008 lViews: 105

    In USA, one of the leading brands that offer diverse and high quality products promoting proper hygiene is Difresh USA. If you are looking for the best opportunity to grow and have the opportunity for a new business Difresh USA can help you for they are looking for Exclusive Local Distributors

    By: danieltorrisl Businessl May 31, 2012

    Getting clean and refresh doesn't sacrifice the place where you are for it should be a habit. Having a healthy body will allow you to do things right and good. And no matter where you are you should practice a healthy and proper hygiene even in little things you do.

    By: danieltorrisl Businessl May 31, 2012

    Maintaining a healthy and proper hygiene badly needs products that are truly effective and could truly answer our need for this. No matter where we are and at anytime we want to get clean we basically need these products right away and only Difresh USA can supply these in a very easy way

    By: danieltorrisl Businessl May 31, 2012

    The key reason why some firms thrive while some implode during an financial recession is still a puzzle to many people business-owning business owners. Some wrongly assume that all businesses should suffer via recessionary cycles. But the truth is that some companies are usually essentially recession-proof, and it is not necessarily because they are much larger, better known, or a lot more generously capitalized.

    By: danhoh75rel Businessl May 31, 2012

    Companies like Arch Coal (ACI) and Massey Energy (MEE) watched his or her stock climbed.

    By: pennystockegghead49l Businessl May 30, 2012
    Christian Fea

    These day's small business owners have access to very powerful tools to build business partnerships and manage them efficiently. Utilizing cloud based document and customer relationship management software combined with social focused communication tools, many of the traditional pitfalls of building business partnerships can effectively be avoided.

    By: Christian Feal Business> Small Businessl May 21, 2012
    Christian Fea

    All successful B2B partnerships have a few basic principles in common regardless of the industry the businesses are in and the type of partnership. A business relationship not structured to mutually benefit both parties will eventually fail if the goals of both companies not aligned with the business deal.

    By: Christian Feal Business> Strategic Planningl May 17, 2012
    Christian Fea

    There are several types of business to business partnerships that a business owner may pursue in order to improve their business. The main objective behind most business relationships is to find new customer leads and convert them into increased sales and revenue for both participating companies.

    By: Christian Feal Business> Business Opportunitiesl May 11, 2012
    Christian Fea

    As a small business owner or business development executive there are several things to remember to do when establishing new joint venture marketing business partnerships. The following is a list of critical items to be conscious of when building business partnerships that will make sure your business finds the right partners and mutually beneficial business deals that maximize the opportunities and results in growing your company.

    By: Christian Feal Business> Business Ideasl May 07, 2012
    Christian Fea

    Location based mobile apps such as Foursquare and SCVGR are another way for small businesses to reach customers that are actively using their mobile devices to update friends and followers about what they are doing including being your customer.

    By: Christian Feal Marketing> Social Marketingl Apr 20, 2012

    Discuss this Article

    Author Box
    Articles Categories
    All Categories
    Quantcast