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huggytree
06-21-2009, 02:24 PM
I always believe in treating my top customers right....

if i score a very large/profitable project i take them & their spouse out for a $75 a person steak dinner

Sometimes I take their whole family out for a fishfry and do a family to family get to know each other (i find this a great way to make things MORE than just business)

I just took a customer ,his wife & 5 year old son to a amusement park for the day w/ my family (i also have a 5 year old boy).....i paid for everything we did...we rode rollercoasters together, our kids went on rides together..by the end of the day our sons were holding hands and running to the next ride. I had fun ramming him and his wife on the bumper cars....

The best thing i can do (and the hardest) is to find them work... ive passed customers to them whenever i can...i try to spread it around...these days its rare, so i do restuarants and amusement parks instead.

creating a friendship and not just a customer is the key to me holding onto most of my customers through this recession while most contractors are price shopping...i have barely lowered my prices while most plumbers are down to cost just to find work...im working 10 hour days for the 4th week in a row.

I had a supply house take me and my wife out to a special dinner a while back. it was a 'special' thing w/ a chef who cooks just for you(in front of you). he explains the special things he does to make his cooking better. My wife talked about it for weeks. The chef was a 'chef of the year in Milwaukee' several years in a row...very expensive im sure....This supply house has been screwing things up lately and the dinner is NOT in my decision process on whether to keep them or not....somehow it wasnt a personal experience for me....the wife says it was for her though.

i think the 'your family & my family' events i do makes it into a personal thing. not just business.

what special things do you do for a customer?

Patrysha
06-21-2009, 02:46 PM
I do little things as my time and budget allow. After meeting with one client I sent a small token champagne bottle with a nice verse to congratulate her on a new business venture (not real champagne just a nicely boxed trinket) along with a card.

I try to do little extras that are not included in what was promised. For example, each of the Tradeshow partners got a video commercial done that played during the Tradeshow. And I dropped off a full report on the breakdown of the Tradeshow when it was complete...which they weren't expecting but all appreciated.

Not sure what I will do with the 20 merchants in on the local shopping campaign I'm about to launch. I'll do a wrap up report for sure, but want to do something else...will depend on how well it goes and how much the budget will allow for when all is said and done.

huggytree
06-21-2009, 07:30 PM
when im doing a large project for an individual homeowner i often look for something extra to do....if i see a leaky faucet i fix it for free....one time i saw a tub drain which was leaking (5 min repair)....i tried to cut the bad fitting out and the whole drain snapped off the drain stack(it was rusted out..a 5' section)...i had to spend 1 hour + parts to fix it...yea the homeowner was happy, but it didnt work out as good for me...

SteveC
06-21-2009, 10:01 PM
The first thing we always do is over deliver, I’m a firm believer in this as it builds long term customers... I’m also heavily involved in networking and pass over any referrals to my customers first... in fact I always try to also buy from my customers wherever possible... even if it costs a few dollars more.

I also take exceptional clients out, I have three tickets to a major cricket match with seating in a corporate box and all food and drink provided... additionally I often purchase tables of ten tickets to networking functions... I then try and invite customers and people I know that I believe should get to know one another.

I’ve also just purchased a membership to a large five star hotel, so that I can use their restaurant to entertain clients and gain discounts, etc...

Then we have a range of promotional gifts and stuff... these I tend to give only to people that give me referrals...

And that is about it...

Nice, simple and straight forward...

Blessed
06-23-2009, 03:19 PM
The biggest thing I do is pass on referrals - and its the thing I like people to do for me the best too. Outside of that - I give discounts for personal projects - like their own kid's Birthday party invite design and things like that. Sometimes I take people out for lunch, or I bake cookies or homemade bread and drop it by their office.

Steve B
06-25-2009, 12:25 AM
I invited some to my company picnic this year.

phanio
06-25-2009, 10:19 AM
These are all great ways to build relationships with customers. I try to underpromise and over deleiver like Steve C.

I think some people get caught up in the extravagance of things ($75 per person dinner seems a little over board). There are many smaller things you can do that do not cost as much but can make the same impact - like personal notes or providing advice or even like the referrals mentioned here.

I know that most pass on referrals in hopes of getting something back - if this is done wrong - it can back fire. Might be better to do this out of pure goodness (not expecting anything in return) - might pay off better in the long run.

Also, keep in mind the the 80/20 rule. 80% of your revenue will come from 20% of your customers. Thus, if you feel you need to go above and beyond as outlined in this tread - you might want to focus on that 20%. The other 80% will ususally just waste your time.

huggytree
07-04-2009, 07:29 PM
sometimes when i score big i can make $10k for 3-4 days work...$75 per person meal is chicken feed...some people never go out for a $50 steak w/ appetizers, $15 desert and drinks.....when i give them this treat they remember it...

giving a customer leads is always the best payback..but when its not possible a high end meal or gift will do just fine...