Jan
30
2018
Deliberate Acts of Relationship Enhancement – D.A.R.E.™ to be Different
It’s time to give it a name, the act of doing something specific with the express intention of enhancing your business relationship with a client. It might be the simple act of picking up a phone, and giving someone a call, for no other purpose than to improve your relationship. But it could be so much more than that.
I’ve been doing this all my working life, but until recently I didn’t name it, and it is so important that Tom Peters made it number 36 in his fantastic book of blogs: ‘Little Big Things’. And guess what? It works.
Calling clients to wish them a happy new year, a good Easter, a merry Christmas, whatever. Speaking with people. Making it personal.
Do not email – call, write, visit….
I have ranted on many occasions about email. Yes it is useful, but it cannot be used to communicate in a way which allows relationships to be built. D.A.R.E™ cannot be done with email.
It takes more effort than that. Email is not enough of an effort.
It might start with a phone call. A simple thing, but one in this lazy age of email and social media, one that is really important, and one which differentiates.
Call your clients. Write to them to thank them for their support and their business. Send them a card. Take them for lunch. Talk to them about their businesses and themselves. Get to know them. Make a real effort.
A personal, real effort.
In many articles, people make mention of D.A.R.E.™ as a to-do item. Something that needs to be put into a reminders list for January, and do exactly as Tom suggests. Call 60 people to wish them a happy new year.
Okay, its a nice thing to do, but the concept goes so much further than a simple new years message.
Take the time to listen to your clients about their lives. Note where they are going on holiday, what their kids are up to, how their career moves are going, whats going on in their businesses. Note the things that are important to them.
Then call them, and ask about these things.
Simple isn’t it. Simple when you think about it and then do it. And the difference it makes is unbelievable.
Personalised acts. Do it today. D.A.R.E.™ to be different, and reap the rewards.
Contact me
For more on developing yourself, your staff and improving the profitability of your business, please do get in touch.
You can email me at james@jamesnathan.com, or call me on + 44 (0) 7736 831151. Follow me on Twitter at @jamesnathan, connect to me on LinkedIn, or follow me on Facebook.
Have a great day,
