Communication is very important in all aspects of life, business is no exception. Developing long-term client relationships is very important, and without communication, it will be difficult to achieve.
Finding new clients can take a lot of time and energy. Rather than putting time and energy into chasing new clients each month, it makes much more sense to develop a strong relationship with one client who will give you repeat business each month.
When you are working with a client, it is best to keep communication open, as a way to keep them informed. This is especially true if you haven’t worked together before or if you are working on an extensive project. The client can’t see you and doesn’t know the status of the project unless you let them know what is going on. Keeping them informed of your progress will ease any worries they have.
Staying in regular contact with your client can also clear up any miscommunication that may arise. Miscommunication can be detrimental to your business. If you thought a deadline was set for the 17th, but the client thought the deadline was set for the 7th, they will be angry and frustrated at not receiving the work ‘on time’. By communicating regularly, you will both be on the same page and know what is expected.
If you find yourself in the middle of a dry-spell, simply email a few past clients and inquire as to how they are doing. This simple reminder that you exist can spur them into contacting you for a new project. Sometimes people simply get caught up in other things and your simple ‘hello reminder’ can remind them of a project they wanted to finish and need assistance on.
Keeping your name in front of your past clients can also help you achieve positive word of mouth advertising. Word-of-mouth advertising happens when a past or current client is talking to someone in need of the products or services you offer, and they refer you and your business. By staying in touch with your customers, you increase the odds of them remembering your name in upcoming conversations.
If you are thinking that all of this “customer communication” is going to take up too much time, don’t worry. Email, newsletters, and autoresponders are the easy way to handle these tasks. In fact, newsletters are a great way to promote your new products and services to prior customers. Once someone has bought from you in the past, they are more likely to buy from you in the future.
Creating a monthly newsletter for your customers doesn’t take a lot of time, and it can even be outsourced to a virtual assistant. Your newsletter can be emailed to your clients once per month, and you can use this time to let them know of any new products or services you will be offering, as well as special sales and other items of interest to them.