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What happens when you own your own business and your customers become frustrated and move on? You fail, of course. That is something that every business owner must think about, as well as those that work in freelance. In freelance, you have repeat customers that can make up the bulk of your business. If you have to rely on new business to keep up and running, you are going to struggle. Repeat business is the key for all types of business endeavors, and that means thinking very hard about your customer retention strategy.

You know that you have to please your customers. That is the most basic premise of a good customer retention strategy. The problem is knowing how you to please them to keep them happy, and how to rectify things when they become unhappy. There are many facets to this and they start from the minute they walk into the door until they have gone home and enjoyed whatever it is that you have offered them. Customer retention strategy is going to be different in each industry or field, but the basics of it are all the same.

You can offer someone something substandard just to make a sale and make some money, but that is not good in customer retention strategy. You have to have something your customer is going to be pleased with. They have to think it is something they need rather than something they just want to have. That means thinking hard about inventory and how you present that inventory in the store. The rest of your customer retention strategy is not going to matter if you do not get that part right. Study successful companies and come up with your own ideas.

When customers are in your store, you have to know they are going to have a pleasant experience that they may not get anywhere else, or that is on par with what they get at their favorite stores. That can keep them coming back. Your employees must be friendly at all costs, even when they are feeling harassed. You should go over your customer retention strategy with them in detail and often. Make that a huge part of their worker review so that they think about that as they go through their day every single day.

You also have to be sure that if there are any complaints that they are handled quickly and to the satisfaction of the customer. This may even mean small losses for you, but remember that ticking just one person off can blow your entire customer retention strategy. Word of mouth about a bad experience can kill your business and your freelance career. Do what it takes to make everyone happy in all regards and your customer retention strategy is going to pay off in dividends down the road.

Many small businesses today realize the need of showing appreciation by providing client gifts. In the rush to produce quality work that meets with and exceeds client expectations, it’s still important to take the time to think of ways to show clients that their business is appreciated. There are lots of stock items that are available. Some businesses are based solely around providing promotional gifts to companies who in turn can pass these items on to clients. However, the challenge comes in thinking of truly unique and personalized client gifts that really convey appreciation and stand out as novel, useful and demonstrate the time that was put into selecting the gift.

Clients are used to being bombarded with lack-luster promotional items like pens, magnets and calendars. However, more forward-thinking companies are learning to go one step further by appealing to the individual interests of their clients. This can be conveyed by offering a variety of client gifts that demonstrate a personal interest in the client. Some examples of such gifts include tickets to a favorite sporting event (giving tickets that may be difficult to obtain or very costly), invitations to use private box seats at a variety of functions, providing gift certificates to popular restaurants or stores and even including clients in personal outings such as trips to the cottage, or to parties hosted on office premises or even held in homes. These sorts of client gifts up the ante and make your company stand out as original, thoughtful and willing to go the extra mile by showing a personal interest in clients.

In addition to personalizing client gifts, smart business owners will also show hospitality when clients visit their office space. Some nice gestures can include ordering lunch or brunch from a local favorite, offering home-baked goodies along with fresh brewed coffee, and by always remembering personal preferences such as a client favoring tea over coffee, any health problems that dictate a particular diet, or even remember a client’s soft drink preferences. These personal touches go a long way as far as client appreciation goes and definitely keep your company top of mind for the future.

Taking the time to record and remember your client’s personal information and preferences communicates to them that you are interested in them as people, and are not just looking to fleece them at every turn. This is how long-term client relationships are built and goes a long way in ensuring strong client relations, open lines of communication and positive business interaction.

There are many things that can make a business fail before it gets off the ground. Having the wrong type of product or service is an obvious reason for losses and ultimate failure. But there can be more to it. You could have the wrong hours, or be in a very bad location. This can happen even if your business is primarily online. You could have skimped on your advertising and no one knows that you even exist. One thing that can kill a small business is not having a good rapport with customers. You have to be good at building business relationships that last or you are doomed before you begin.

I once worked for a man that had no idea what building business relationships was all about. We lived in a very small area, but he had enough business to keep him open. He was making a decent profit for a while, but customers were talking, and people stopped coming. At one point, he alienated an entire union who from then on would not shop with him. He felt that his store was the best place to state what was on his mind without regard for others. This is not the way to go about building business relationships that are going to last. He closed shop soon after.

You don’t want to make the same mistake when building business relationships. You want to keep your personal life and opinions out of things. It is always ideal to be a bit personal with your customers, but you do not want to subject them to your ideas about politics, how to raise their children, or general badmouthing of anyone that they may know. They are not going to come back, and you can bet they are going to tell others of their bad experience. Building business relationships means knowing when to speak and when to hold it in.

Another key element in building business relationships that are going to be beneficial and last into the future is to be honest and take each complaint, no matter how small, very seriously. The saying that the customer is always right is around for a reason. Even when they are not right, you have to bend to keep them happy. That does not mean doing something to put yourself out of business, but you have to think about the consequences when dealing with any type of customer service issue. At times, this means biting your tongue and giving in.

Building business relationships that last is also about what you do for your community. If you become involved in things that mean something to those that are your main customer base, they are going to see you in a better light. You are going to attract new customers as well. You should by no means get in over your head with financial commitments that you cannot fulfill, but you should make an effort to help out, even if it means that all you have to give is your time. Building business relationships is an ongoing endeavor, but very easy to do if you know how to treat people the right way.