People need affirmation.

Some more than others, some less. But people need it. If you aren’t the best at expressing your feelings, don’t worry, no hand-holding or runny noses required. But you may be surprised to learn that there is more to successful business than just a great product.

Recently I had lunch with a colleague who was telling me about their new promotional piece. They were explaining to me how happy they were that their vendor was such a “good friend”. He explained that this vendor had worked for his company for over 12 years and moved companies several times. Each time the vendor moved companies, he would follow the vendor. I began to realize why this vendor, was his vendor.

This vendor was his friend. Now before you think you’ve got the article all figured out, let me explain.

I don’t mean they played golf together on the weekends, or went to eachother’s house on the fourth of July. The vendor was his professional friend. At the end of every year the vendor takes this client out for a lunch, catches up on projects that are in the works, and talks about business for the next year. Nothing too special, but the vendor show’s that his success is directly related to his client’s success. If you want to be a success, it means working with other people.

If you want people who work for you to view you as more than just a paycheck, you have to understand this principle. Here are 3 steps to building a better base of repeat clients:

1) Be professional and be the best.

There is no question why people buy higher end products over the knock-offs. Quality.

High quality products naturally encourage your customers to come back again and again. If you want return customers, you have to do what you do better than your competition. Believe it or not, this is a hard concept for most people to grasp. People assume that if they are cheaper than their competitors, they will always get the sale. Wrong.

Make your customers experience with your company so enjoyable that they would have to lower their standards to go anywhere else.

2) Be invested in your client’s company or product.

As a designer and photographer, I have worked with my fair share of printers. The ones that get me to repeat my business with them are the ones who pay attention to me.

Example: One time I was working on a flyer design for a client, I finished the ad and I sent the design to the printer and went on to the next project. What happened next is why I always go back.

I received a call from the printer asking if I had intentionally cut off a piece of the design in the ad. Puzzled I asked him to check the margins for the page. Some how the margins had been off by about a 1/4 of an inch. Cutting off an important piece of the ad. Rather than just go with what he had written, he called to make sure that my design was going to be what I wanted. He used his brain, and made a judgment call to save me a from a headache. That was 3 years ago, and I still always go to him for my print pieces.

Understand that personal success is only achieved by partnership-success. Make your clients happy, and you’ll never be out of work.

3) Don’t be afraid to ask your client questions.

Often times people forget that their clients, are indeed, human. They are afraid to ask if a client meant this or meant that because they are afraid of being viewed as incompetent or unintelligent if they are unable to decipher what their clients needs are, even if those needs are impossibly cryptic.

Sometimes, your clients need a reality check. Someone to say “Are you sure you want neon green and purple on your business card or were there any other ideas you had come up with?” It is okay to tell your clients that their idea may not be the best way to achieve the results that they want. Do it gently and do it respectfully, but if an idea is clearly zero, they will appreciate you saving them from a titanic mistake, and will trust you to help them make good decisions in the future.

You don’t read minds and neither do your clients. Use your words, and use them well.

Author Bio: Josh Harbor – A web and graphic designer. He writes blogs and designs print and web pieces freelance. http://www.piaxomedia.com/

Category: Marketing
Keywords: customer base, marketing, quality design, image design, image consulting, business practices