BUILDING A CLIENT BASE

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If you are starting a new business, in any other field, or if you are simply wanting to grow your business, how do you go about building or growing a client list?

Do we go for the old saying of Beg, Borrow or Steal? Do we go and purchase client or marketing lists from others? You may laugh but as we know, some companies do actually do this. Leaving that aside though, is there a better way to build your business?

There are many tips out there for building a business, including:

• Charging the right rate for your target market
• Positioning your business in the right location for your clientele
• Decking your business premises out in a way that is safe and enjoyable for your      clientele
• Using marketing material (including a website, social media, business cards, flyers and the like) that accurately describes your services and is simple and clear
• Being technically proficient at what you do

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However is there more to it than that?

A great question to ask yourself about this is, what makes you return to a business you have been to previously, or try out a new one?

We tend to go back to a business because of the quality of the service received. Price, location and all the other factors listed above are definitely relevant, but above all of these, it is the actual quality we felt we received that makes us think, “Yes I’ll go back there” or “No I won’t”.

Similarly, what happens when you do experience something you feel is really top quality? Isn’t the first thing you do to share that with your friends and family etc? We tend to want to tell others whenever we experience something really fantastic. If we come across a particular product or service, and it is above the normal level in terms of quality, then we love sharing this with others.

When we look at it like this, we realise that the old saying that “The best way to build a business is word of mouth”, is actually true.

We can take from this that, the best marketing or business development exercise you can ever perform, is to ensure that you treat each and every client in the way you yourself would want to be treated – give them your all.

‍It is quality of service that builds businesses, above all else.

So as business owners or operators, would it not be our best asset for our business if we focused on building the quality we offer?

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