building relationships

One of the absolute first things that I learned in building long term customer relationships is that keeping existing clients is far easier and more beneficial then having to find new ones. However, here comes the tricky part. Keeping them and keeping them happy is not always as easy as we would like for it to be. One of the key factors in keeping clients is to have a planned approach to provide excellent customer service, consistent communication, clear and concise goals that are addressed and thoughtfulness, showing them that you appreciate there business.

The quest begins with a simple Google search "professional web design company;" because after all you've had the IT guy do your last site and his design skills leave much to be desired. Your search returns several astounding companies, and no surprise at the top of the list you find LevelTen.

The Sales Cycle has changed considerably over the years.The Fuller Brush Company started out in 1906, and salesman walked miles each day going Door-to-Door to meet and great the lady of the house and share with them beauty, household and day to day products that would revolutionize the way they look, feel and manage their households and by using Alfred C. Fullers famous words, "...the best products of their kind in the world." Fuller's philosophy was simple:

From the beginning Fuller established three basic rules:

Make it work
Make it last
Guarantee it no matter what.

How do you know when you are in a negotiation?

I attended a half day seminar last Tuesday on "Negotiation In the Workplace", presented by Michael T. Colatrella & Tony Picchioni, Ph.D. I was comforted to hear that negotiation is something that can be mastered with knowledge and practice. For some people, though, this was a gift you naturally inherited. For others, this was picked up when you were younger, negotiating with your parents for a later curfew. I contribute mine to the latter. However, what I thought was negotiation really just turned out to be getting my way.

Think back to a time in your life when you had just started a new dating relationship, Mr. or Ms. Right could do no wrong and you were completely blinded by infatuation. Fast forward 6 months and the unique laugh and adorable tendencies are more annoying than cute. Over time we discover traits in a potential partner that we like and dislike; let's face it, no one is perfect, so clearly knowing those likes/dislikes is a vital part finding the right fit.