3. Develop a ‘Customer for Life’ culture in your business. Think of each customer in terms of what they will spend with you in their lifetime, not as a ‘one-off’ sale. For example, a customer who buys groceries at your supermarket ($200 a week) and shops every week (52 weeks) and lives in your area for 15 years is worth $156,000, not just the current $200 sale. She certainly deserves ‘Magical’ customer service.

 
4.  Keep in touch with your customers at least once every 90 days with: ‘How are things? …’ calls. Send cards or emails for Birthdays, Christmas, Easter; Australia Day; Valentines Day, New Year; etc. Joe Girard did this and ended up in the Guinness Book of Records as the most successful sales person in the world.

 
5. Understand your customers’ ‘buying cycles’ and contact them immediately prior to their next need for your product or service. e.g. hairdressing, car servicing.

6.  Send regular newsletters to your customers that include photos of your team so that they can ‘put a face to the name’. This really builds relationships.

 
7. Train your staff in customer service, product knowledge, sales, upselling and telephone techniques. (Up to 90% of enquiries to businesses are by phone).

8. Train your staff in questioning techniques to increase your conversion rate of enquiries to sales.

 
9.  Provide incentives for staff for providing top customer service. Happy staff look after happy customers. e.g. Monthly Customer Service Award.

 
10.  Run cross promotions with other businesses who share the same target market. For example, a hairdresser and coffee shop would work brilliantly together.

 
11.  Send motivating hints and tips to customers via e-mail – ‘This Month’s Top 10 Business Ideas’.

 
12.  Conduct regular ‘How can we improve meetings’ with your key customers.

 
13.  Develop a Customer Referral system. It’s a great way to build your business.

 
14.  Give your customers promotional gifts with your logo on so that they will advertise your services every time they use the product. e.g. Fridge Whiteboards.

 
15.  Use regular customer surveys to gain feedback about what your customers do and don’t like about your business.

 
16.  Develop a customer profile on each of your customers and classify them as ‘A’, ‘B’ or ‘C’ based on profitability, frequency of purchasing, or other criteria.

 
17.  Develop a special customer-relationship program for your ‘A’ customers. These usually provide 80% of your business. (Pareto’s 80/20 Principle).

 
18.  Ask your customers for testimonials and use them in your marketing.

 
19.  Educate your customers. Find articles from magazines, newspapers or industry publications that relate to your customers’ interests and send it to them. Provide information sessions for your customers if this is relevant to your business.

20.  Contact customers prior to launching any new products or services and provide them with ‘special customer offers.’

 
21.  Write a ‘Hints and Tips Booklet’ or ‘Fact Sheets’ for your customers.

 
22.  Organise your own Melbourne Cup Sweepstake Competition for your customers.

 
23.  Organise Corporate Golf Days or Movie Premieres. (Donate the proceeds to charity).