Welcome to my first-ever edition of “Cheryl’s Quick Tips Mini Blog” about building customer relationships.
I’m super excited to start this and help you get the info you need to create massive results in your business and, ultimately, your life!
Today, we’re focusing on “Customer Relationship Building.”Customer relationships can be so over-analyzed and become so strategic that it is slimy. I’ll never forget shooting (I used to be a videographer in my 20’s) a seminar for a super successful car salesman. He was teaching his newbie sales team how to build trust, and the entire thing was dripping in inauthenticity and manipulation.
If I hadn’t needed the money so bad and been afraid of making a scene, I might have just turned off my camera and walked out of the whole yucky thing.
The thing with building customer relationships, relationships with people in your organization or a team is that it’s the SAME as building relationships outside of your business or organization. It takes vulnerability, authenticity and thoughtfulness. People want to be lead by and do business with a real person. So be real.
Today’s Tip For A Surefire Way To Build Customer Relationships
Today’s one quick and super easy tip, proven to be effective forEVER, is writing a personal note. You heard me correctly. A good old-fashioned note. NOT the kind you use a handwritten font in Canva for or the kind you have your designer type a note up for you and stamp it with your signature. A real, live, handwritten note.
People can tell when it’s mass-produced, and it loses the effect you wanted it to have in the first place when done that way. Be honest. How many politicians or real estate agents’ cards have you kept or proudly displayed on your mantle?
I get the fear of committing to this task if you have a massive organization or customer list. In that case, you can have employees or team members help with the writing or simply be selective on how many you write and who you write them to.
3 Tips For Writing A Note That Will Help Build Your Relationship:
1. Presentation – Use pretty stationery or a cool card. That way, they will be more apt to keep it out on their desk and keep you top of mind, and it could even end up being referral marketing for anyone in their space that sees it.
2. Tone – Try not to sound too formal. Remember, you are working at building a relationship. It’s always a great idea to mention something specific from your recent interactions. For example, “ I hope your mother is feeling better. I’ve been praying for you guys.”
3. Gratitude – Always let them know how much you appreciate them and put something in there about seeing them in the future. For example, “Looking forward to the next time you’re in the shop.” or “As soon as we’re able to gather again, I’ll be so happy to see your smiling faces in real life!” This way, you are reminding them that you have a past together, you care about their present, and you’re looking forward to building a customer relationship moving forward
Helpful Resources For Note Writing
www.canva.com – This site has templates to adjust and print.
www.vistaprint.ca – These guys are fast and very affordable if you’re looking for personalized stationery. You can’t go wrong with Vistaprint in my experience over the years.
Marshalls Canada (aka TJ Maxx in the States) – You know the shelving all along the line up where you wait to check out? They ALWAYS have stationery and cards along there. In true Marshall’s fashion, it’s never the same, and they’re usually pretty unique. This is a great place to look if you’re looking for a box of holiday cards or thank you notes.
www.feltapp.com – I only found this app while doing my research for this blog, and I fell in love. You can write your message with your finger or a stylus on your smart device, pick a photo you have stored and have your message printed with the photo. Imagine taking a pic with clients and sending it to them with a handwritten note. I haven’t looked thoroughly into the ins and outs, but the designs and options look really great. I’m definitely going to check them out.
I hope that helped!
P.S. I know the idea of handwriting is not something that many of us look forward to, but with how the world has been this year, this personal touch could genuinely end up going a lot further in building customer relationships than you ever imagined.
