June 23, 2022 – Business is built on relationships: relationships between business partners, relationships between the business and the customer, relationships between the business and the supplier. Establishing healthy and strong relationships is critical to your success, especially when it comes to your customers.
Here are 4 ways to build better relationships with your customers:
- Lead with exceptional product or service
It all starts with what you’re selling. Whether it’s a product or service, what you’re offering needs to stand out and be exceptional to get the attention of your customers. Otherwise, it’s just a waste of time. When you can open the door with what you are offering, prospects will be much more likely to want to build a relationship with your company.
- Support with incredible customer service
Once your foot is in the door with your customers, this is where you start flexing your customer service skills. Customer service is essential to forging and sustaining business relationships with your customers, and investing in your support and customer success infrastructure will ensure that you are building a strong foundation of customer support reps.
- Keep up with key contacts
You’re going to meet a lot of people throughout the lifetime of your business. The truth of the matter is that some of your contacts will be more valuable than others. There will be some contacts that will fade with the sands of time, and that’s ok! But don’t let the good ones go – identify the customers, vendors, and partners that provided you with the most value and stay in contact with them. While you don’t need to overreach with your communications (i.e., don’t call or email every day), but it is important for them to feel valued by you. Don’t let them feel forgotten.
- Be consultative, educational resource
Perhaps the most important thing to remember about business relationships is that they shouldn’t be one-sided. In other words, don’t use your business relationships to get what you need without giving anything in return. Use your expertise to consult and educate your audience on innovations in the industry and how your product/service can help them overcome the challenges they’re facing.