3 Keys to Creating Long-Term Client Relationships

You’ve heard the marketing rule that it’s much more time and cost effective to keep a current client than to cultivate a new one, right?

And yet so few business owners actually have any kind of system in place to make it happen. The reason being that they really have no clue what is at the heart of creating those relationships. I’m talking about the kind of relationships that are real, not superficial “what can I get out of being nice to you”, business relationships.

Let me tell you what the key to long-term client relationships is not:

* It’s not having an inadequate customer service person.
* It’s not asking for referrals immediately after you make a sale.
* It’s not sending a never ending auto-responder series of emails.

So here are 3 basics of creating a real authentic relationship with your clients that will having them not only begging to do business with you, but over the long run, happy they did and sending you all their friends.

Key #1:     Show Sincere Interest & Approval

Let your client talk about their work and their life. Their needs and desires will become abundantly clear to you and you will be miles ahead of your competitors.  I can assure you that nobody else trying to secure their business has ever let them talk about themselves the way you do.  And it really lets you get into their true needs and desires by letting them talk about themselves.

The big point here is that you are asking because you really care to know. It isn’t a sales ploy. To serve your client to your highest ability you need to know what’s in their heart. To do that you need to let them speak and not just answers to a barrage of questions.

Think of the kind of conversation you would have with a friend you were trying to help, same kind of conversation here. Do business this way and your client will not ever forget the interest you showed in them beyond how you could get a paycheck.

Key#2:    The Right Questions Are the Answer

The art of asking the right questions is one of the most important skills you can develop.  There’s a real art to it – so much so, that we spend time play-acting in live “Getting to Yes Without Selling” boot camps.  Being a pro at asking questions can easily double your income.  It’s an amazing process to watch and really quite simple and easy to do, once you know how.

It must be abundantly clear to you what the psychology is behind all the questions you are asking and the information you are gathering.  If you get the information, but don’t understand how to incorporate it into your presentation, it is all for nothing.

This will make the difference between your client feeling listened to and understood in a way they never have before and just wondering why you’re asking so many questions.

There’s a big difference in the information you know from asking different levels of questions.  Can you see how spending a little extra time to ask questions makes a tremendous difference in getting to YES?  Does this make it clear how one person can present the same basic proposal as another person and yet have a much higher percentage of people say YES? If you get this, you’re well on your way to creating those long-term authentic client relationships.

Key#3:    Listen More Than You Talk

Spend the necessary time upfront to gather information, not present it.

If you ask questions and listen carefully in this conversation, you will be 95% of the way to YES before you even start talking about your product. There are different questions you will ask based on the personality type of the client you are talking to.  Different types of questions will open up the different styles of personalities.

Customizing your conversation to the personality style of your client makes them feel like you really care and understand who they are. As Zig Ziglar taught many many years ago, nobody cares what you know until the know how much you care.

Show you care in as many different ways as possible and you have a client for life. That’s the bottom line to increasing your bottom line!

Until next week, I’d love to hear your thoughts.  Just comment on this post on my blog at http://www.LynnPierce.com

If you would like personal mentoring, send me an email detailing what you would like help with.  As your mentor I hold a bigger vision for you than you hold for yourself.  When you have faith and a team that believes in you, it gives you courage.  When you don’t have to do it all yourself, all things are possible for you.  Commit today to go for your dream 100%.

Lynn Pierce, the Success Architect, has taught people how to combine business and personal development to reach the pinnacle of success and live the life of their dreams for over 25 years. In addition, she is also the founder of one of the most exciting annual events for women entrepreneurs, “Empowered Women’s Business  Summit“. Now she shares her keys to success and life mastery with you. You can get my special report, “What Do You Stand For? A No B.S. Guide to Creating Your Own Personal Manifesto” at
http://LynnPierce.com