Guest post by Sarah Robinson
There are so many trendy marketing strategies buzzing around these days. “Influence Marketing”, “Collaborative Marketing”, “Content Marketing” are just a few of the latest and greatest. Everyone is trying to create and/or keep a toehold of market share, and some days it feels like people are grasping at the “strategy of the moment” just to make that happen. 
I believe that as we move forward in this New Economy, the only thing that matters now and will matter ten years from now, is securing client confidence and ensuring client loyalty. Nothing fancy or trendy there, I know, but in the end, it’s your relationships with your prospects and with your clients that will keep your company growing.
The consumer marketplace is getting louder and louder and louder. The last time I checked, shouting wasn’t a great way to secure sales or retain clients. And yet, that is what most companies are resorting to as a way to get their messages out. And they are baffled as to why it isn’t working. Clients and prospects are more empowered today than ever before. They are demanding greater transparency. They have access to more background information. They talk to each other about companies they do business with. What you shout at them about what you do really isn’t that relevant. What their peers say about what you do – that’s what is relevant.
So, instead of focusing time and energy on a trendy strategy and trying to out-yell the competition, I focus my clients on building critical personal relationships. Clients want to know the people they do business with. More than that, they want to feel like they are in partnership with the people they do business with. If they can count on you to keep their best interests front and center, if they know they can depend on you to come through for them, they will never leave you.
How can you get started building these kinds of relationships? Here are three ideas:
1) Pick up the phone. Call your clients and ask them about their challenges. Listen. Make notes. Get back to them with solutions (even if the solution isn’t something your company provides). I’m always amazed when I walk into a company and ask, “When was the last time you called a client when you weren’t trying to sell them something?” and I hear crickets. Do this. Right now. Today.
2) Send handwritten notes. If a client makes a purchase, send them a handwritten, hand-addressed note. If you talk to a client on the phone, send them a handwritten, hand-addressed note. If you haven’t heard from a client in a while, send them a handwritten, hand-addressed note. Aim for sending two or three notes a day. You will make a lasting impression and set yourself above and apart from your competition.
3) Host a client gathering. A purely social gathering is great. It doesn’t have to be fancy or elaborate. Be sure you plan ways to connect your clients to each other in a meaningful way so that you are seen as fostering beneficial business relationships. If you really want to kick it up a notch, host a client gathering that shares business ideas and solutions outside your area of expertise.
Not a lot of bells and whistles on the list. Just good, old-fashioned relationship building. By implementing even one of these ideas, you will set yourself on the path to securing your clients’ confidence and loyalty now and throughout the future of your business.
