AS YOUR BUSINESS continues to grow, getting new customers becomes less difficult. However, communicating with clients can be difficult, depending on the kind of businessperson you are and how seriously you take your business. Either way, communicating with longer-standing customers is typically easier than trying to get new ones.
If you do not keep in touch with your customers, you will not be able to maintain the long-term relationship that is a main factor that leads to success in business. You need to express your ideas, opinions, advice and strategies through communication—preferably in person. Once you build a long lasting relationship by communicating with clients, this normally helps you in your business success. Communicating with your clients effectively is a very important aspect in business. This helps you to know what the customer wants and expects from your services.
The following are some of the tips that will help you communicate effectively with your customers and build a long lasting relationship, which leads to the success of your business:
- If your customers request to speak with you about an issue, suggest that you meet in person, if possible. Most people appreciate the accommodation of face-to-face conversation. Be cautious of your customers’ facial reactions and/or expressions when driving your points across. Be clear on your key result and ensure sensitivity to the schedule of your client.
- If a face-to-face meeting is impossible, before calling your customer, list down the key points of discussion. Ensure that each point has been discussed and ironed out thoroughly. Note the concerns of your customer and make sure you later address them in your meeting or by emailing them.
- Communicating can be hard work, especially if you have a large portfolio of clients. Therefore, it is good to have a system or method of knowing what was discussed with whom to avoid forgetting key points that were raised by your client that might be very important to them. You could do this by keeping folders in your email account for each client; files on your computer hard drive work just as well.
- You should always present neat and presentable materials to customers, such as contracts, manuals, brochures, etc. Ensure they have the correct information listed in the brochures and the contracts are well-written with proper addresses and monetary amounts, so there isn’t a misunderstanding about any of the terms and conditions.
- Don’t be afraid to advise your customers about a product they need, despite the fact that they might seem to know exactly what they want. With your particular set of skills and expertise in that industry, you should be able to demonstrate and explain to them why a particular product is not a good match for them. This improves your credibility since it shows your clients that you're not just out there to collect money from them and you genuinely care about their best interests. Ensure, though, that if you are going to suggest an alternate product for them, you do it without sounding forceful. If, after hearing why your other product is superior to the one they have chosen, they still want their original product, agree to their request, along with an open invitation to call or stop by if they have any problems.
