Page 57 - 100 Great Business Ideas: From Leading Companies Around the World (100 Great Ideas)

151 Quick Ideas to Get New Customers

the simple fact was that they offered many of the same ser-
vices. He began to recognize the individual needs of his cus-
tomers with a program to get each person comfortably settled.
He made sure they knew what their schedule was going to be
and who was going to work with them. Then they were of-
fered a choice of beverages and snacks. At the end of each
visit, he would have a small gift for the customer to take home,
and he always made sure to tell his customers how important
they were, and remind them to come back again.

Epilogue
It’s one thing to tell people that you care and they mat-
ter. But it is 1,000 times more important to show them you
care, and they really do matter.

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My Name’s Not Bud

How serious are you about attracting new customers and
cultivating long-term relationships with repeat buyers? If that’s
your intention, beware of the tragic blunder many companies
have made in trying to win my business. I’ve been called bud,
chief, sweetie, honey, honey-pie, lover, and everything except
my actual name. While this may seem trivial to many, psycholo-
gists say that a person’s name is, to them, the sweetest sound.
Start by making sure that your associates have their name avail-
able so your prospects and customers can use their name, and
begin building a relationship.

Membership retailer Sam’s Club is currently running a cam-
paign about using customer names. On the back of every cash

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