Love Thy Clients
By Brian Norris, ©2000, 2004

  All the marketing. All the positioning. All the networking, phone calls and late night deadlines. Whether you’re spending $20,000 to market your organization or you only have $20.00 to your name, it all boils down to one thing – relationships....

   When it comes to building a successful business, it’s all about the relationships we form with our clients. In my world, client relationships go beyond the fees they pay me to improve their lives and bottom lines.

   In fact, the best marketing secret that I can give you is this: Love your clients. Cherish them. Appreciate them. Listen to them. Validate them. Be honest with them. If you can’t (or have no desire) to love your clients, then do yourself a favor and put out the “going out of business sign” right now. In fact, walk over to your fiercest competitor and hand them your entire database of clients.

   Because unless you invest the time to build a solid foundation, your clients are eventually going to search out someone who will. It’s kind of like the lonely lover who cheats on his or her spouse because of the lack of attention. Without a genuine love, trust and respect for your clients, you’ll soon wake up holding nothing but empty dreams and a desolate bank account.

   Just because we have the ability to put on an expensive power-suit or to produce a fancy brochure or proposal, doesn’t mean that we should leave our humanity at home. Still, that’s what happens; we stop dealing with others on a soul-to-soul level and we fail to cultivate the relationships we already have.

Consequently, we have to work even harder to find that new prospect, while we forget about the person or organization we've just spent the last six months working with.

   Do you know what your clients’ underlying needs and wants are? Have you taken the time to uncover the core motivations and dreams that are fueling that individual’s life? Do you know what is happening to them at home? In their minds?

   When it’s all said and done, I love my clients. And I think its fair to say that my clients love me. After all, I pull no punches and deliver more than I promise both on and off the platform. Moreover, despite my marketing zaniness, I help my clients to become more confident, capable and to make more money.

   So what about you? What kind of relationship do you have with your clients? Do you stay in touch with them after you’ve delivered your product, service or presentation? Or do you dump them on the side of the road so that you can find the next paying client or enter into another bitter negotiation war?

   Long-term success comes though creating deeper, more honest relationships. Marketing is simply the art of establishing first-contact. The real work begins after the first phone call or first appointment. All of your time and financial investments in your company are meaningless unless you are passionate about understanding and connecting with your clients – nurturing and reinforcing those bonds daily. Make the commitment today to love your clients!

Recommendation: Through the Customer's Eyes Interactive Training CDs

   Brian Norris coaches and speaks to companies and individuals searching for the respect, skills and higher income they deserve. For more information, please call Brian today at 414-899-1905 or email him at info@briannorris.com

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