Whatever romantic plans you may have this Valentine's Day, I've got one more thing to add to your agenda. Take a few minutes to think about how you treat your clients.
And be honest. Are you showing them enough love?
You've got to develop your own creative ways of providing top-quality service. Your goal is to create "raving fans," clients and connections so anxious to tell others about you that they have trouble containing themselves.
How do you create raving fans? Well, it obviously depends in part on your relationship with them. Clients and strategic alliance partners, for example, are looking for different things. But regardless of who's on the receiving end, the bottom line is giving in a way that creates delight.
Take Elizabeth Baldwin-Ross, a financial advisor in Syracuse, N.Y. (one of the country's snowiest spots). She swung by a widowed client's home one day in February with coffee and muffins for breakfast, but found the home snowbound and vacant. So she borrowed a snow shovel from a neighbor and shoveled the walk. "Of course, I returned the shovel with a thank-you note written on the back of my business card," Baldwin-Ross told us. "My client tells that snow-shoveling story to everyone she knows."
And that's no surprise. When it comes to referrals, love really does make the world go 'round.
Already sharing the love? Tell us how you delight your clients by clicking on "comments" below.
Want more ideas for turning clients into raving fans? Check out these articles (free registration required):
9 Client Service Tactics That Generate Business
With more and more investors carping about lackluster service, now's the time to take that extra step that really shows clients you care. Here are nine creative service tactics that build more than goodwill--they build business.
How to Win Your Clients' Appreciation
Inspired by a Broadway star's passion for his audience, this advisor decided to win her clients' loyalty by treating them like front-row fans.
7 Service Tips That Have Clients Feeling the Love
In a new book, the retail magnate who's dressed Wall Street's best shares his secrets for building loyal, long-lasting client relationships.
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