In the late 1990’s I remember attending a civic club luncheon at Grand Island Country Club. The significance of this particular meeting was my learning about a condo for rent on Thomas Drive in Panama City Beach. I had asked several colleagues if they knew of a good place to stay at the beach. Sure enough one of my friends told me about a lady who owned and rented a beachfront condo for just $75 a night. What a bargain! So I called the lady to ask if there was a catch.

She said, “No catch. I keep my costs down by not paying a rental agency and by doing my own word-of-mouth marketing.”

“Great! Sign me up,” I said.

The beach trip and the condo were absolutely wonderful, so much so, I rented the same condo again the following year. Then a few years passed, life got busy, and I misplaced the condo owner’s name and phone number. I couldn’t even remember who originally told me about the condo. If I only knew how to get in touch with her I would have gladly rented her beachfront condo again and again.

As the years passed, I realized a valuable lesson from this experience...a lesson any business or sales professional can take to the bank.

Lesson learned: Keep in touch!

Is the sale over once the sale is made? It’s kind of like the joke with men and dating - men stop courting once they marry the girl. With my condo experience I, the customer, was responsible for keeping in touch after the sale. Eventually I lost complete contact with the condo owner and never heard from her again.

Here’s how to build a customer relationship for life:

Ask for your customer’s contact information. Even businesses with many thousands of customers, such as restaurants and retailers, are able to collect customer’s email addresses.

Tip: Don’t simply ask if your customer wants to be on your mailing list. Few people care about your mailing list. Rather, ask if they would like to hear about specials or sales from time to time. Tell them it’s your way of saying thank you and keeping in touch.

Maintain a contact database of every customer and potential customer.

Tip: A potential customer is not just anyone. A potential customer is someone who has shown an interest in what you have to offer, but are not yet ready to buy.

Keep in touch. Periodically, perhaps monthly or quarterly, send something of value to your customer and potential customer list. Tell them about a special or a sale before the general public is notified. Share information that would be helpful, interesting, or current news. When you give value to your customers, a feeling of reciprocity creates a desire in them to give back to you.

Tip: You must be sincere in your efforts.

The point is that when your customer needs what you have to offer, you want them to think of you and your business. Who else would they think of when you are top-of-mind?

Bil Sadler,CFA,CPA,CFP helps people who are facing important and complex retirement decisions. For infomation on retirement visit bookletrequest.com