Five tips to keep your clients coming back!

Quick! Think of three companies or service providers with whom you will NEVER do business again! How many friends, family and acquaintances have you told about these unsatisfactory providers? Ten, fifteen, one hundred? Ultimately it may be closer to a thousand!

Now, think of three companies or individuals who you adore and will continue to use. How many friends, family and acquaintances know about your positive experience? Statistics show that the number is likely to be much lower.

Why this disparity? Partially it is because we are human and like to complain. Also, if you had a negative experience it may have taken days, weeks or even months to resolve your problem or to give up.

We tend to talk more about such intense, negative experiences which drain our time, energy and enthusiasm! And we frequently welcome an audience to listen to our gripes.

Know that YOUR customers are likely sharing their positive and negative experiences with their circle! Your clients will sometimes inform their friends of their displeasure, before they inform YOU of their displeasure! Does it make sense? Not always. Is it human? Absolutely.

Word of mouth referrals are frequently THE main source of new clients for many of us lightworkers, healers and service providers. It makes sense then that keeping clients happy is a priority for the successful entrepreneur. (For the rare client who is more challenge than your energy allows, read my article next month for tips around, Sure signs you should let a client go! I call them energy vampires.)

For your wonderful clients, here are five tips to keep them coming back again and again:

Timely response: Do you reply promptly to an inquiry? With todays technology your client may desire a response within 24 hours, if not sooner. If you cannot provide a full reply within that time frame, do you at least touch base and let your client know when they will hear from you?

Ask and offer: Keep your current and former clients informed regarding your new services, skills and products! Established clients are frequently enthusiastic about sampling a new service because they have already established a positive relationship with you.

Exceed expectations: As a consumer you know the difference between a product which just meets your expectation versus one which exceeds your expectations. How would you rate your current services? And more importantly, how do your clients rate you? If you are unsure, ASK!

Be the care provider: Let me take care of that for you, should be a phrase your clients hear often from you. Eliminate stress by making your services as client-centered as possible. This may show up as convenient hours for appointments, personal touches, and going the extra mile for your clients.

Quality, quality, quality: Is the product and/or service you offer of high quality, as defined by your client? Have you educated your clients about the quality and value that you offer?

In July I will write about "Sure signs you should let a client go!"

I invite you to join me each month for an insightful and fun discussion related to building your business. Please feel free to forward my e-zine to friends and colleagues you feel may benefit.

Till next time,
Blessings & Light
Anne Kelly
Lightworkers' Coach & Retreat Leader

Business Refreshment Retreats

Spend a day renewing your connection with your business.

Get Clear on where you have been, where you are and where you want to grow your business.
Get Juiced on the passionate dream you had when first starting out. Open to the message that prosperity and self-honoring values ARE compatible!
Get Ready to Intention and Create the business you will love a year, three years and five years down the road.

Discover:

• Who is your ideal client and how can you market directly to them?
• What are you overlooking when it comes to growing your business?
• How can you offer only those services that you LOVE providing?

Events: Anne will appear at the following expo!

Celebration of Life! Expo
Holistic Expo and Conference
Sat & Sun, August 12 & 13, 2006
10 am - 5 pm both days
York Expo Center, Old Main
334 Carlisle Ave., York, PA