Your greatest asset

Can you remember your first ever customer? If you're a born salesperson or run your own business I'm sure you can.

My first sale meant the world to me. Not only because someone wanted something that I could offer, but because it marked the transition to independence, the possibility of doing things for myself. It came hard on the heels of redundancy and I needed someone else to value me through my work. It worked. I've never looked back.

The sad truth is that I can't remember the second, third, fourth or scores of other customers I've had over the years. The ones that stand out are the really great success stories, the lousy bad debts and (of course!) everyone I work for now.

This matters because it suggests that I haven't made the most of many of the really good customer relationships I've enjoyed. This is madness. Second to your staff, there is no greater asset in your business than your past and present customers. Nurtured correctly, a customer will market your business more successfully than a lifetime of advertisements and probably better than quite a number of salespeople too.

Seven points to How?

Here's my seven-point guide to maximising the value of your customer relationships.

1. Sounds obvious, but do a good job. An unsatisfied customer is never a good reference. But not all customers need to feel they've got themselves a 'bargain' deal in order to be satisfied. Good doesn't have to mean cheap. A Good job - a highly subjective concept at the best of times - is about achieving the end objectives of the customer. Now we've all come across irrational customers who harbour highly unrealistic expectations. But generally speaking, if you understand what your customer is trying to achieve (ie. how they are going to measure your success), then you are on the road to having a happy customer. There are now fewer and fewer end users who don't know a fixed dome from a PTZ. The end user is increasingly well informed and increasingly sensitive about system performance. Good design advice in particular is invaluable when it comes to creating great long-term customer relationships.

2. Take photographs of the installation and share these with the customer. If you show you're proud of your work, it will encourage the customer to share this pride with their colleagues. This expands the pool of people at the company that know of you and of your value to the business. Perhaps your photos and a report of the install might find its way to a group board meeting. You've no idea where that might lead. Do a good job for your customer and you're doing a good job for your personal contact. You become an ally to his or her own success. The reverse is also true.

Photos and a report of the install may find its way to the boardroom

3. Label the kit with your own logos. Most installers do this already. The key benefit is long term. Your customer contact may well move on to pastures new (see point 7 below). Labelling your kit automatically makes a successor bring you into the frame. Where the kit is visible to visitors to the company or to passers-by then it could have wider promotional benefits too. But make sure the labelling looks good, is kept in good condition and remains up to date. If your phone number changes your kit will be proclaiming its age to all.

4. Publicise the project. Sending information about the project to the press (especially Security Installer) can create very useful publicity. But always gain your customer's permission first. If they're up for it, involve them in the promotion. Get a photographer down to the site taking pictures of the kit in situ with your customer in the frame. A press release without a picture is less than half a story. Make sure it really is news and is well written and it will have a chance of being printed. To guarantee coverage and an agreed amount of space, you could pay for an 'advertorial'. I'll come back to the mechanics of this whole process in a later issue.

5. Quote your customer in your own marketing. Again, always ask for permission first. But if you've just installed a system at a distribution site, why not write to all other distribution sites in the area mentioning your recent work in their industry? After all, don't all distributors face very similar challenges? In the letter you could outline the key issues and illustrate how you put the solution together and the kind of costs involved. The key issue here is that customers buy from customers. Naming your customer in the letter associates you with what is probably a much more well-known local, even national, brand.

6. Thank them for their business. None of us say thank you enough in life and this applies to business just as much as to family and friends. If you show you appreciate your customers' business, they are much more likely to offer you more opportunities. There's no need to grovel to them - a straightforward thank you and appropriate gift or night out is more than enough. Don't go overboard with hospitality; always keep it proportionate to the contract value.

7. Keep in touch. Your competitors are in near constant contact with your customers trying to win your business. Every time they phone your customer it's a threat to your future sale. So why not keep in touch more? Letters and newsletters are a good idea, particularly if you've hundreds of customers. But a personal call - by phone if not in person - can't be bettered. "Just calling to catch up, hear how business is doing and to see whether the system is doing everything you need it to…" You'd be surprised how welcome this is, especially if your five-minute call leaves your customer feeling well supported and advised.

Finally, a word for the reticent amongst you; those who perhaps don't feel comfortable asking customers to support their own marketing efforts. I urge you to give it a go. Our customers are much more appreciative of us than we often realise. Yes, there are some whose organisations have policies against affirming third party suppliers and their products. But these are in the minority. Most will be pleased to help - if you've done a good job.