So often as contractors, we know that we need customers to keep our business going, and in our marketing we focus on getting new customers. However, we do very little to keep our current customers. One thing that people really want today is to be appreciated. Most of us never feel very appreciated by others, most of all by those we do business with.

The question you and I need to ask ourselves is do we let our customers know that we appreciate them? Do we reward behaviour that helps to build our business? Appreciating our customers goes beyond telling them ‘Thank You’ when they do business with us. They need to be aware that we appreciate them in unexpected ways.

Look at the relationship with your customers in the same way as you would look at a long term relationship with a wife or girlfriend. How long term would the relationship be if you didn’t keep in touch with them or if you never let them know you appreciate them.

If you failed to show your appreciation to them, but someone came along who did let them know how much they are appreciated, they would be very attracted to the guy that did show appreciation to them. If you continued to ignore them, you would be in danger of losing them.

The same thing is true with your customers!  If another contractor let’s them know that he would appreciate their business and you take them for granted, you are in danger of losing that customer for life. There are many things you can do to let your customers know you appreciate them.

The easiest thing you can do is to send Thank You cards. If you make it a policy to send a handwritten Thank You card after every job, you will stand out from all of your competition. After all, when was the last time you got a handwritten Thank You card from someone you did business with?

Another thing you can do is to send out a fun and easy to read newsletter. Make sure it is not just about your company, but that it is something that your customers want to receive. Many of my customers tell me that they read my newsletters as soon as they get them.

If your customers refer others to you, let them know that you appreciate that. I send them a gift certificate to go out to eat. You can get these easily and if you realize how much it costs to get new customers, a gift certificate is cheap for a new customer. I’ve had customers thank me for the gift card and they are more likely to refer others to you.

You can also send out birthday cards and holiday cards to let your customers know that you appreciate them. If you do a couple of the things that I mentioned in this article, you will stand out from the crowd and you will take a huge step toward keeping the relationship with your customer.