Too often we chase new business at the expense of existing clients. In tough times like this you need to provide excellent customer care to your established customers. This in turn will make them feel more valued, more likely to refer others and more inclined to purchase additional products and services from you.

Here are 10½ approaches for retaining your existing clients and making sure your new clients stay around.

1. Find out what your client really wants

When people purchase anything, from shoes to business training, the buyer looks at the product or service on sale from their OWN viewpoint. With this in mind make sure your client’s needs are at the forefront of your product and service offering.

You have already captured the interest of your current clients but to keep that interest and build on it you need to put yourself in their shoes. Focus your time, efforts and resources on identifying what your client needs are from their viewpoint. Finding out their specific individual needs can result in you selling more of your products and services to the same client instead of having to rely finding new ones. 

2. Create an irresistible offer

In the current economy people are having to scale back and justify every investment made. A key element this year will be gaining client interest and making an offer so irresistible that they can’t refuse.

So as we start the new year, why not take some time to consider what you can offer which is unique and makes you stand out from your competition.

3. Under promise and over deliver

In life there are no guarantees. It is better to err on the side of caution and be modest in your promises. If you fall short it may be no reflection of personal under performance but what will be remembered is simply that you did not deliver. Therefore it makes sense to manage your client's expectations and be realistic and about what you can help them achieve.

Bernard shares his experience of this when working at Eversheds law firm:

“As a keen Marketing Director eager to impress, I recall setting about my new role with gusto. I could see what needed to be fixed and excitedly announced to senior partners the route I was going to take. However, it was at this point that I learnt a valuable lesson in ‘expectation management’. A wise sage and partner at the firm took me to one side and suggested that I slow down. The advice that he gave me then was to ‘under promise and over deliver’”.

4. Invest in your clients

Do you really know your clients? and not just their birthdays and anniversaries?

David Maister, the ex-Harvard professor who trains and writes on professional service firm management, says, "Clients don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care." By listening to them very carefully and then demonstrating that you have heard them, shows your clients how much you care.

Find out about your clients lives, their hopes, their goals and their desired outcomes be it at work or in a social setting. Keep asking questions to encourage a deeper sense of shared understanding.

5. Be consistent

In order to build rapport and trust with your clients, treat them with sincerity, honesty and respect. Maintaining this consistently over the length of the relationship will be invaluable and credible.

6. Enjoy what you do

It’s very easy to get caught up in the day to day business goals, outcomes and deliverables. These are important, but clients want to work with people who enjoy what they do, who are positive and full of enthusiasm.

The more enjoyment you can provide whilst delivering your clients with clear and measurable outcomes, the happier your client will be.

Let’s face it enthusiasm and positivity is contagious.

7. Think long term

Have you got a system in place to make sure your long term clients know you are a resource for life?

The current economic climate can make your clients less discerning and more likely to change providers in a blink of an eye. Due to this you need to make sure you have a system in place which enables you to offer life time value and make yourself indispensible. Why don’t you ask your clients what they would like from a provider in the long term, you will then be able to tailor make an approach which adds value to yourself and your client. If they don't know what they would like in the long term, then keep talking ........

8. Share valuable information and resources

Have you read a book or an article recently which you think will be of benefit to one of your clients? Have you a contact who you could recommend to a client?

There is no better way to show that you value your clients than by helping them achieve their own goals. At Size 10½ Boots we actively seek opportunities to share valuable information and to make connections for our clients over and beyond our project briefs.

9. Ask for feedback

Do you know what your clients think of you?

By asking clients for their ideas and suggestions it shows that you value their opinions and their contributions. Gaining client feedback will also provide you with the tools to provide them with an excellent service which is tailored to their needs and wants.

10. Rewards

Loyalty schemes are used by the supermarkets and the retail sector to attract their customers back to their stores again and again over a long period of time.

A loyalty scheme could be used in your business, offering your long term clients bonuses as a reward for a certain level of ongoing participation with your business.

Be imaginative with what you offer be it, gifts, experiences, products and services tailored for them.

10½. Keep Learning

In order to stay one step of the competition you need to focus your attention on your own professional growth and learning. By gaining new knowledge, skills and experiences, the more attractive you will be to your existing and potential clients.

At Size 10½ Boots we encourage personal development. We are constantly reading new books to gain more knowledge and insight. We are taking turns to read "The End of Lawyers" by Richard Susskind. This thought provoking book explores the impact technology is having in legal services and how it is likely to shape future service models.

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