Three Ways To Show That You Appreciate Your Clients

by Larry Easto
(Toronto, Ontario, Canada)

Successful professionals in all areas of service know that the most new business comes by way of referral from clients.

Certainly if you want referrals you must earn them by providing the best service possible.

However, great client service alone does not always generate more referrals.

It's important to maintain the positive relationship with clients that you enjoyed while actively working with them.

There are many techniques that you can apply to maintain ongoing positive relationships. These approaches, which among other things demonstrate client appreciation, include:

• newsletters or ezines
  
• regular mailings
  
• thank you gifts
  
• client appreciation events

Basically there are three ways in which our brains take in information: visual (by reading) , auditory (by hearing) and kinesthetic (by feeling or experiencing).

Each of us has a preferred way of receiving information. When we receive information in our preferred way, we can process it more easily.

This means that when showing your client appreciation, use the approach that will be best received by clients.

Clients who prefer to receive information visually, will respond most positively to newsletters or other written messages of appreciation.

As for clients who prefer to hear information, they might welcome a recording in which you tell them how much you appreciate them. Ideally you could include your message in a CD or perhaps even an MP3 recording with popular or familiar music.

And clients who learn by experience might enjoy a lunch or special event with lots of handshaking.

Don't waste your time trying to identify which approach to use for individual clients.

Use all three approaches depending on circumstances.

By using some combination of all three basic approaches, you can effectively demonstrate your client appreciation, regardless of their preferred approach for receiving information.

For more information about client appreciation, see Showing Client Appreciation Helps Generate More New Business