It can cost five times as much to acquire a new customer as it does to keep an existing one. So keep in touch with your customers, keep talking, and make sure they are happy. Not only may they buy from you again, but they may recommend you to their friends and colleagues.

However, we’ve all heard of the 80/20 rule in business and this applies to your customers as well.  20% of your customers generate 80% of your turnover so shouldn’t our communication with these valuable customers reflect this?  It needn’t be complicated, it could be as simple as enclosing a more personalised message with your current newsletter, or even a telephone call to catch up (NB Not sell them something!). By grouping customers in this way we can create a targeted communications programme that targets 80% of your effort at the 20% off customers who will generate business for you.

Just some reasons to contact your customers:

• Welcome – thanks for that first order
• Thanking – for the 5th order, anniversary of first order etc
• Informing – of a new service/product/ company event
• Rewarding – discount for their 10th order

Keeping your name in front of them on a regular basis may just catch them at the right moment to pass your name on.

Putting a regular contact programme together will make life easier for you, and will also allow you to vary the ways in which you communicate.