Eat your way to success

“You must spend a fortune buying clients’ lunch,” a multiple-lunch client said the other day over, well, lunch.

Yes, we do. But there is a very good reason for it.

No, this is not another “customer is king” column. Nor am I advocating bribing clients into throwing work your way. (But on the other hand…)

What this is about is keeping your business top-of-mind by keeping your clients top-of-mind. And—as we’ve said a million times before—it’s a lot cheaper to keep a client than acquire a new one.

Customer-relationship management is very important and every company, big or small should have a system in place in some form or another. (In fact, now you can buy computer applications that will automatically keep in touch with your customers. I’d rather do that personally, thank you very much.) But the reality is, for whatever reason, most don’t have such a program.

Even if your program isn’t formal, however, there are some things you can do to stay in touch with those who already know you and like your work.

Here are a couple of ideas.

Be a donor. Stay in touch after the sale by offering clients information they can use. We buy a lot of magazines, often for the sole purpose of forwarding clippings. Similarly, we often search the Internet for material that is of interest to our clients.

Be a recipient. Go to clients when they have solid information you can use. This tells them that you value their opinions. I would advise against doing this simply for the sake of doing it—nobody likes to be patronized. But if you truly need the information, go for it.

Be a teacher. We attach a simple, one- or two-sentence QuikTip to every email message we send to clients. They are short, usable tips that are designed to make our customers better communicators. The response has been incredible.

Say thank you. We send flowers, notes and gifts to clients—a lot. And they are all sent with an honest feeling of caring. A small bouquet of flowers, a book or a helpful gift costs next to nothing but speaks volumes about your thoughtfulness. Sometimes, just a hand-written note after your first project together can make a world of difference.

Remember, the success of your business is not about marketing and sales. It’s about the relationship you have with your clients. And what they like for lunch.