How can you engage on a personal level with your clients (as much as it’s appropriate for your industry)?  Relate to them based on their world – your buyer is a real person, with real interests, and real stuff going on just like all the rest of us.  Be genuine, be interested, be kind, and include some ‘critical non-essentials’ that start buying you loyalty past the professional level. So many business imaginations run dry on this one after just trying one thing – give them money or a discount for more of our stuff. There are so many other ways to win customer loyalty by making deeper deposits in the emotional bank account. For example, consider:

• The personal trainer who shows up on a rainy Saturday to cheer on their client in their first marathon
• Insurance agent who sends an air freshener with the paperwork when a client gets a new car
• The interior designers who gifts pre-made meals to clients under-going a renovation
• The contractor who takes the time to clean EVERY window on the exterior of your house, after just building a small sun deck
• The wedding photographer who picks you up for your consult in a limo stocked with champagne

All the above are completely NON-ESSENTIAL to the service being provided, yet CRITICAL to deepening the relationship, hitting emotion, and achieving customer loyalty.

About the Author Contributed by Jarrod Stanton, ActionCOACH Business Coaching, Calgary, AB.