Are Poor Customer Relationships Costing You Money?

Cultivating Client Relationships Will Help Your Bottom Line

One of the best sources of added revenues for your business is your existing customer base. Whether you’re upselling, cross-selling, or performing additional services, when you have repeat clients, a big part of the upsell process happens as you built your relationship. That is: They know and trust your company. That gives you a considerable advantage over your competition and a headstart in your sales process.

However, successfully selling to existing customers still requires effort on your part. The key is to be sure your company springs to mind when the need for additional work comes up. That means keeping in touch with customers on an ongoing basis, without becoming a pest.

Maintaining Customer Relationships Used To Be Easier

In the old days – like when your dad was running the company – there was a Rolodex filled with 3 x 5 cards. Each time he called a customer, or sent a postcard, he added notes to their 3 x 5 and filed it until he contacted that customer again.

Well, that day is about as extinct as cursive writing. Today, crafting, implementing, and managing an ongoing customer relationship requires effectively leveraging a variety of media (email, print, blogs, social media, telemarketing, etc.) to communicate useful, non-promotional messages to the right customers at the right time. You should base your content on a variety of factors, such as the type of work you’ve done in the past, the time of year, or the kind of systems installed.

Technology To The Rescue

It’s no surprise that software and the internet have been brought to bear on this modern business challenge. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) programs are becoming ubiquitous. If you’re not already using CRM software – cloud or computer-based, it’s time to get on the bandwagon.

The good news? There are many CRM products on the market. Check out the blog post 5 CRM Products Designed for Home Improvement Contractors to explore our list of popular products. Once you're ready, we recommend you research on your own and choose your CRM based on the needs of your company, your marketing requirements, and your sales process.