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How to Get and Keep Good Clients The economy out there is a battle field. You have to stay strong if you must survive and a good clientele makes up a huge percentage of your chances for survival. The clientele forms the power house of any business; you are out there because you want to satisfy a pressing need. It is one thing to find a good client and it’s a totally different ball game in keeping them. With the present state of the economy, it is only ideal for a business owner to know how to get and keep a good clientele.  A paying client is very essential to any business firm; but in the real sense, not all clients are ideal to work with. Working with a bad client is not only frustrating but it also affects your mind set and the energy you put into your business. Sometimes for optimum output and satisfaction, it doesn’t always have to be about the money the client is willing to pay, but the relationship and ease of communication. Startup businesses need all the clients they can get as they need a large pool to sift from; some of these will be retained for the longer term. Businesses that have been in existence for 5-10 years need more clients and more money to expand their businesses. Businesses that have been around for longer periods (10 years and more) need fewer and better paying clientele to survive. If getting good clients was as simple as ABC then there will be no need for marketers. Getting and keeping good clients comes with a price – one you must pay in order to keep afloat. Below are strategic that can give you some extra steps in your bid to gain good mileage on your business success. Word of mouth: Yes, we all know it’s a digital world we live in where a whole lot can be achieved by the help of the internet. However, there’s something about certain good old techniques like word of mouth which no amount of technology can rival. Truth is there is no medium of communication that has as much far-reaching effect as the one-on-one marketing. So, get out there and meet people; commit to talking about your business with at least five people each day and watch your client base expand. Know your target market: A famous adage says, “If you do not know where you’re going, you can’t know when you’re there.” Same goes for business. There is a beauty that comes with networking with the right crowd and for every product or service you have to render, there is always an appropriate market for it. So do your feasibility studies/ research and find your niche. Next; focus on your target market because that’s where you’ll find the potential for a lasting clientele. Look out for such and seize the opportunity. Social Media: Build a reputable social media presence with good and quality content. Quality content and the message you disseminate tells a lot about your company. Naturally, humans are laggards for something they are not sure of so a strong social media presence over time can be a strategic marketing tool to convince them you are here to stay. Use their ideal method to contact them: One way to keep your good customers is to communicate with them in a manner that is convenient to them. Very few things put off a good customer as much as a business marketer who has no idea when a call is ideal and when a text or mail will suffice. For online consumers, email is the standard method; otherwise, a text will often do. Limit calls as much as possible to when there is an ongoing business discussion or when you’re giving feedback. However, create a database for those special customers who are consistent and/or make the largest purchases and give them special and personalized attention. By contacting people in their preferred method, you will most likely have a better chance of communicating effectively and achieving your goals. Develop personal rapport with your good customers: Treat your good customers like the persons they are; not as some money making tool. This does not necessarily mean that you have to be overly familiar with them. It just means that you should have certain of their personal information such as their birthdays, hobbies, where they love to go on vacation and so on. You can also learn some little things about their families like events that are special to them. This is to help you as the business owner follow up with congratulatory or follow-up messages that will give your customer the feeling that they are important which in fact, they are. Fortunately, there are many means available for you to do this; toll free numbers they can dial, customer care hot lines, questionnaire slips, email addresses and so on. Just make sure your customers feel comfortable enough to speak their mind. Give room for feedback: Giving your customers the opportunity to tell you what they think is an invaluable tool in keeping them. When they know their contributions are valued and attended to, they develop a sense of belonging to your company that keeps them stuck on you. Capitalize on this and create more avenues for getting their opinions. Since all that there is to the existence of business is to satisfy good clients, one should also know how to hold on them.  
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This article was first published on 24th January 2014

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