I have been working as a small business for over 18 years. I have worked with a number of businesses, celebrities, non profits and large corporations, looking to increase sales with online marketing strategies.
**Most of the people that I have worked for have been fantastic people who valued my input and work. **
As a designer, you will always have difficult clients and need to be prepared for what ever comes your way.
These are the top 10 tips I can share to new businesses looking to keep their clients happy and coming back...year after year.
****HAVE THEM SIGN A LEGAL BINDING CONTRACT**** :)
Honor your words and agreement. Take notes. If you promised something, follow through on it.
Ask questions at the beginning of the project. What are the real intentions and motivations with their new project?
Always go above and beyond what is agreed upon. Can you do one more thing to help them? Can you share their company website online? How else can you help your new client?
Document everything. Each email, phone call, meeting and message with them online. This helps you to remember important events and to do lists, even when your super busy and will probably forget a thing to two.
Take a selfie with your client at their location. Then share it on Social Media. Make sure to tag them in your Facebook post.
Send a hand written letter to them after the project is completed, thanking them for choosing to work with your business. If you can afford it, send them a gift card to a local coffee shop.
Leverage your existing customer base and provide quick intros where your clients can network and share. Create a community of helpful and honest businesses to network and share referrals for.
Invite them out to lunch every now and then. Do not be a pushy and cheesy sales person, you are simply wanting to connect and see how they are doing in business. Is there anything else you could share with them to help them succeed?
Connect with them on social media. Check in every week or so to comment, like or share something funny they have posted. Remember, you only want to work with other businesses you actually like and look up too. We are all in this business thing together folks.
Last but not least, always go above and beyond. Do the work, make sure the results you provide are absolutely amazing. The goal is to be a resource for your customer for many years.
