Clients are human beings with emotions, desires, and needs.  Unfortunately, in business, many have not learned how to treat people well.  In the spirit of this Valentine’s day and weekend, I’m going to share with you simple things you can do to win, not just the business of your clients, but also their hearts.

Say Thank you.

A simple “Thank you” face-to-face at the register or during a meeting, by phone, hand-written note or via email can go a long way to show how much you care.  After all, business is all about building healthy and lasting relationships.

Make a Follow Up Call

Most often, after we sell a product or provide a service and payment of invoice has occurred, all most businesses do is to wait till the next opportunity to sell again.  What about following up with a call after a month or so to check on how a computer system you installed is working right or a recommendation you gave is actually going as planned?

Offer an Unexpected Discount

Who does not like discounts or rebates?  We all do.  Well, one way to spread the love this season is to offer a special and unexpected discounts or rebates for your products or services.  This can go a long way to build client relationship while helping you increase your revenues.

Give them a Referral

People appreciate when we can help them solve their problems.  Even if your company does not have the expert knowledge and competency in a specific service your clients need, if you refer them to a trusted source, they will be glad you enabled them solve a problem without necessarily expecting anything back.  That is what I call, Selfless Client Management.

Acknowledge their Account Anniversaries with You.

One more easy way to show your clients how much you care is to remember to celebrate their critical anniversary dates as a client.  That can include, how long they’ve been a client, their upcoming birthdays, or other relevant data points in your system.  You may need to leverage a robust Enterprise Resource Planning System like SAP  for that purpose.

Your clients are your most important ambassadors of your brand.  They hold the keys to winning more hearts for your business.  Treat them with love and they will go all out for you.

Happy Valentine’s!