Why customer relations are important for your small business

One of the best ways to insure that your small business remains up and running, and growing larger, is to make the relationship you have with your customers a priority. You may be surprised to learn that small businesses, that have good customer relations, can often survive an economic downturn better then their larger competitors. This is often the case when the larger company has not made customer relations a priority. It is also important to remember that the majority of your sales will happen with your existing customers, not the ones you pick up along the way. Too often many small businesses focus to heavily on finding new customers, while ignoring the customer base they already have. This can be a fatal mistake for your business. Here is why customer relations are important for your small business-

• Understand who your customers' are-It goes almost without saying that the customers you want to focus on are the ones who pay you in a timely manner. These are typically the customers who respond to your marketing, by ordering, from your small business. The bottom line is that these are the customers who function as an insurance policy, for your small business. They are the customers who will keep it up and running. The main factor in this customer relationship is that you must provide the customer support so that they will continue to trust in and return to your business. You will also have customers who may believe in the products or services, that you offer, but they may not always purchase from you. Your relations with these customers can be a little more complicated. But keep in mind that just because these are not your most reliable customers does not mean that you should ignore them. You must still build a relationship with them, or they could be serious damage to your reputation. If you fail to do this, these are often the customers who will give poor reviews, to your small business, if they become dissatisfied.
• Understand how you need to market-A key component of building good customer relations, is knowing how to market to them. You may want to consider offering your most reliable customers, exclusive coupons and other discounts. You need to make sure that you offer the highest degree of customer service as well. For other customers you will want to offer enticements, to try out your business. Make sure that the promotion is strong enough that they will want to return to purchase again, as well. Again customer service comes into play as you want these newer customers to appreciate the service your small business provides. Every time a customer (whether new or old), has a happy interaction, with your small business, they are much more likely to return to purchase, and best of all they will spread the word about what you have to offer.
• Understand that you need to train everyone in your business to focus on customer service-There should not one employee in your small business, who does not felt that customer service is not a part of their job. Every employee should understand that they are responsible in whatever their job description is, to make sure that each and every customer is treated well.
• Understand that you need to be a user friendly small business-Today's consumer has to think long and hard, before spending their hard earned dollar. The bottom line is that they are not going to spend it, unless you make it easy for them. You can do this in a variety of ways such as: offering payment plans, providing information online, and giving them several options that they can use to reach your small business.