Kristie T’s Home Business Blog Fun, mom-geared work-at-home tips and advice on making money on the net.

I was at a sales seminar the other day and learned something really interesting I wanted to share.  We have all heard of the love languages and that in a relationship you need to show love to your spouse in the way that they “hear” it the best.  For some it’s written love notes, for other’s it’s verbal I Love You’s, for still others it’s about the things you DO that show your love.

Customers also have a love language.  Ask them the best way they like to be contacted: phone, email, IM, snail mail.  Also, find out what really makes them happy cards, gifts, periodic phone calls to check in, doing little extras for them, etc.

Just to share an example, I got a new team member on my direct sales team.  He is a major author, trainer.  I was sending him a lot of gifts (cards, tips, tools, Starbucks gift cards).  He made a point of telling me that while he appreciates that, it’s really not necessary and he really doesn’t prefer gifts.  He said he’d much prefer me “doing” things for him.  So he told me his “customer love language”.

Just something though provoking to chew on.  One size doesn’t fit all when it comes to appreciation.  Find out what makes your customers feel loved and appreciated.

You know I appreciate you guys right? Hugs!

Kristie T

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I am giving a talk today on the importance of relationship marketing and thought you might want to listen.
In this talk I share about what relationship marketing is, why it’s important, the right and wrong way to approach relationship marketing, and best ways to put relationship marketing into practice in your business.

Download this a short 15 minute talk on how card marketing gets you all the referrals you can handle.

If you’d like a copy of the free report 71 Ways to Explode your business with Card Marketing, just email me at kristie@webmomz.com and I’ll send that out to you.

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I stopped by the Hallmark store today to pick up some thank you cards. I really enjoy sending notes to friend, collegues, and people who go out of their way to be kind. It’s important to show your appreciation to the special people in your network. I know there are those automated card sending services, but I think there is something precious and personal about a hand written thank you card in your own writing.

Well imagine my surprise when at the bottom of the box of Hallmark thank you cards I found a “thank you” from Hallmark. WOW!

Here’s what it said:

Thank You for choosing Hallmark Stationery.

For nearly 100 years, Hallmark has been entrusted with helping people keep in touch and nurture their relationships. We believe in the emotional value of written communication and the difference it makes in people’s lives. We hope you enjoy this product, and thank you for joining in the Hallmark tradition of enriching lives through meaningful communication.

That gets you all warm and fuzzy now doesn’t it? Imagine if you wrote a little note like that and tucked it into your product orders or book orders what a difference that would make?

What do you do to say “thanks” to customers and make them feel really special?
Share your ideas and thoughts on little touches to show customer appreciation here.

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I recently switched my landline service over to Cingular. For 1 low monthly bill, I get 2 cell phones: one rings with my main business line, the other I use as my cell phone.

Last month I saved a huge chunk of money with that approach. Well, this month I apparently got carried away with my minutes usage. I had a whopping 2,420 minutes and only a 1500 minute plan. And with the overover fees, I was facing a $466.69 bill. I was not a happy camper.

So today I called Cingular to up my minutes to the 3000 minute per monthphone plan. You know what they did? They offered to grandfather my new plan for my cell phone minutes used last month and gave me a $303 credit. WOW! That is service if I ever heard of it. They won a customer for life that’s for sure. I told they customer service lady she was going to make me cry. I was completely overwhelmed with joy about the kind offer to credit my bill.

When’s the last time a company gave you jaw dropping WOW customer service< .tag> that blew you away? Share your outstanding customer service stories here.

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Yesterday I my family was heading home from my Dad’s wedding in Iowa when something terrible happened. I was sitting at the gas station, talking the kids and grabbed my necklace out of my purse to put it back on when it slipped off the chain and down the side of the seat of my car.

My heart stopped. This was the diamond necklace that my husband and kids had given me for our 10th wedding anniversary. I saw it trapped in between the seat and the middle console, but as I tried to grab it, it slipped completely out of sight and into the metal tracking of my car seat.
I was was heartbroken. I couldn’t bear the thought of losing something so special to me.

After a 5 hour drive home we desperately tried to recover the necklace with no luck. Our only thought was to call the car dealership to see if they could remove the passenger car seat to rescue my necklace. Needless to say I didn’t get any sleep. I couldn’t help but beat myself for letting it slip thru my fingers like that. It was very frustrating.

This morning I made an appointment and drove to my Mazda car dealership. When I got there, I described the necklace to the service manager and pleaded with him to be gentle so they wouldn’t damage the necklace. I went to wait in the lobby wondering if they would have any luck.

In about 10 minutes the service manager came out holding my necklace with a big smile and said, “Is this it?”

I can’t tell you the joy and gratitude I felt. And what he said next totally blew me away, “I’m not going to charge you for this mam. That was my treat.” I couldn’t believe what he just said. What he gave back to me was absolutely priceless. The sentimental value of that necklace was immeasurable. As he handed me the keys and I walked back into the garage I said, “Which one of these boys is my hero? I want to thank him!”

Now that’s customer service! They just got a customer for life. What they did was beyond words for me.

It made me really think about business. In those moments when a customer crisis, how can we be a hero for our customers?

Have you ever been rescued in business crisis or in life someone who really went out of their way and made a difference?
Share your customer service stories here! Let’s celebrate our everyday business heros!

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Sales guru, Jeffrey Gitomer, always says, “Customer satisfaction is worthless, customer loyalty is priceless!” And it’s true. To prove his point further, he gives an example, “Think about it, would you rather have a satisfied wife, or a loyal wife?” Pretty funny!

But it just goes to show that once you have a customer, you really want to keep them.

I mean, when you are looking to grow your revenues, there are really only 3 ways to do it.

#1: Go find NEW Customers
#2: Get your current customers to buy your product/services MORE OFTEN
#3: Get your current customers to spend BIGGER AMOUNTS with you - increase the lifetime value of your customer

It takes a lot of money and effort to get new customers in the door. So keep those current happy and loyal!
Then think about how you can get your customers to buy more often - this is where recurring monthly services are nice!
And finally, what can you add to your product funnel to make the lifetime value of a customer greater? Do you have
products and services at multiple price levels? Do you have a marketing plan to work that customer from the
low cost products up to the Big Enchilada High Ticket items?

Share your ideas that have you found helpful to build customer loyalty and increase the lifetime value of your customers?

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If your business is a little slower than you would like? Then you might want to think about focusing more on marketing to your existing clients. It’s much easier to get business from marketing to your existing client base than it is to get business from new prospects.

Maribeth Kuzmeski of Red Zone Marketing is marketing consultant for the financial industry. She is a fellow member of my local National Speakers Association chapter in Illinois.

Here are 5 tips for delighting your clients!

1) Live by the 80/20 Rule - businesses get 80% of their revenue from 20% of their clients.

2) Market to your existing clients . . . it pays!- use a mix of phone calls, letters, cards, client-focused seminars, and client reviews to strengthen client relationships and build upon them

3) Ask your clients what they want. - Keep track of your score card. How do you rate? (satisfaction, delight, service, communication, your staff) Listen, take notice, and work to improve your results.

4) Think of imaginative ways to set your business apart.

5) Establish a KIT (Keep In Touch) Program. - let your clients visibly feel that you are there for them, thinking of them, always having their “back”

So there you have it - ways to show your customers they are #1 in your book! Share your innovative ways of marketing to your existing client base here.

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Do you get lots of word of mouth business? Great if you do. That means you do great work and your customers love to spread the word. In order to set the stage for referrals, of course you have to love your customers, give them outstanding service, and be worthy of a referral. Outside of that, are you >tag>asking for referrals from your customers?

You can ask for a referral after someone makes a purchase. In fact, you can setup an autoresponder after a couple weeks just to ask for the feedback and if they know of anyone else who could benefit from your service.

You might even think of offering them a referral fee as a thank you.

You can call, write a thank you note and ask for the referral, or even send an email.

Here’s a sample referral letter you could use:

Dear Alexis,

Thanks so much! I appreciate in advance any referrals you may have.
Your Name

People are generally pretty nice and are happy to send you referrals if you just ask.
What have you done to ask for referrals and build word of mouth for your business? Share your comments!

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Does your product or service stink? Well, if it does, you’d sure want to know about it. In fact, finding out what you could use a little tweaking allows you to turn an ordinary offering into something superior that really solves your customers problems.

Check out this blog entry on The Brand Builder Blog.

I just love his little “doggie” buttons on his site. Very creative!

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Want to know how to keep customers? Grace Keohohou Lee, of the Direct Selling Women’s Alliance offers these tips for “Going the Extra Mile” with Customer Service in the bestselling book, More Build it Big: 101 Insider Secrets from Top Direct Sellers.

- Remember someone’s name and use it frequently
- Remember what someone has purchased
- Learn your customers likes and dislikes
- Send them thank you notes
- Contact your customers regularly
- Put their needs high on your priority list
- Inform customers of specials and sales
- Be available to meet her needs
- Follow up when you say you will
- Remember facts about their family or hobbies
- Be organized and thorough
- Be a friend
- Return customer calls promptly
- Demonstrate you want to fulfill their customer needs

By going the extra mile, we can show customers we care. Those bonds will create lifelong loyal customers and a steady stream of income.

Thanks for the tips Grace! Do you have any neat tips for showing customers you care and giving excellent customer service? Share your customer service tips here!

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