I’m thinking about building customer relationships l after catching up with a customer I’ve enjoyed working with for years. What went into building our relationship? At the time we met she was working for a small technology company. Since then she has taken a position to build and manage a lead generation team. She has been quite successful with this new company for quite some time. We’ve built and enjoyed a mutually rewarding customer relationship.
See Customer Relationships with a Long View
As we navigate a world where technology is increasingly shaping our daily interactions, it’s important to remember the value of a long-term perspective in building customer relationships, building a sales pipeline, building a sales strategy and building a sales team . Reflecting on how our relationship blossomed, I realize that these simple, common sense practices were instrumental in forging this strong business and professional alliance.
I decided to jot them down. Although they may seem basic, these practices are worth considering as we continue to seek and develop meaningful relationships with our potential buyers, buyer partners, and customers.
Practices that Nurture Stronger Ties With Clients over Time
Here are my thoughts on a few basics to help build closer customer relationships:
- Don’t over-promise, but over-deliver
- Go the extra mile; it does matter
- Respond quickly and positively
- Be alert to red flags and help clients work through them
- Partner with your clients
- Talk less, listen more
- Set realistic timelines to meet customer requests
- Work toward the customer’s goal, and they will work toward yours
- Listen, hear, act, and respond quickly to customers
- Make it easy for customers to work with you
- Keep customers abreast of developments within your organization
- Be honest, sincere, and real
- Be positive and look toward the future for them and with them
- Could you include them in your business planning?
- Share your vision and forward-thinking ideas
- Discuss best practices that are working and not working
- Treat the customer as you want to be treated as a customer
- Your clients’ success should be your goal
These practices, though simple and basic, are critical and not to be forgotten. I hope they help you realize that building strong customer relationships, building a sales pipeline, building a sales strategy or building a sales team is not about complex strategies, but about consistently applying these manageable and achievable practices.