By: Sherene Bonelli

Education

In today's market of "hard selling," sometimes what people really need is information. Customers appreciate it when you go out of your way to provide them with a useful tidbit -- updates about what's going on in your industry, a checklist for choosing the right product or service, and article about a topic that might interest your customers, some free tips or suggestions -- even if they don't buy from you right now. They will be a lot more likely to buy later if they see that you are willing to share some of your expertise for free upfront.

Throw in a complimentary product/service

The fact that it is free is great, but it's more important that the gift you give away be related to in some way to the product or service you are trying to sell.

One thing that people are looking for today is convenience ,they don't want to have to put forth any more effort to make a purchase than they absolutely have to. So to make it incredibly easy for people to do business with you... Could you extend your hours? Make house calls? Provide free shipping? Accept several forms of payment (cash, checks, and credit cards)? Shorten the amount of paperwork the customer has to deal with? Help a client make a decision by doing the research for him or her?

Be easy to work with

No matter what your industry, customers always appreciate it when you take some of the burden off of their shoulders. And an incredibly easy way to do this is to provide a free service that goes above and beyond what they have paid you for.

Provide an extra service

As a business owner, you are in a position to know a lot of other business owners throughout your community. And you can use this knowledge to your advantage. It greatly behooves you to develop strategic alliances with related industries, and to get to know other business people who can be of use to your clients

Make Connections

Honor Preferred Customers

You probably have two kinds of customers -- "one-timer's" who drop into your life for a moment and then leave, and repeat customers who make up the core of your business. There is nothing wrong (and many things right) with treating those clients a little bit differently -- rewarding their loyalty

Don’t forget special occasions

Nothing lets a client know that you care like remembering those special occasions. Many companies send a card on major holidays like Christmas, but how many businesses acknowledge your birthday? Your child's graduation? Your moving to a new home? The more important life events that you can make note of and recognize, the more your company will stand out in your customer's mind.