I'm always asking people that I meet and friends and family how their businesses are doing and recently the majority are struggling - partly because of the economy and partly because they're not doing anything different to draw them in.  These are the times, when business is slow or quiet, to really reflect on how you treat your customers. 

  * What are you doing to keep them? 

  * What are you doing to bring in new customers?

  * Are you doing anything different from your competition? 

  * Do you even know what your competition is doing for their customers - and yours???

In my conversations with various people, I've also received some great ideas on growing and developing relationships with your customers - and your competitor's customers!

Here are 7 of them:

 1. Ask your customers how they're doing - not in a survey or postcard but face to face.

 2. Send them a personal note, thank you card or inspirational book with a note in it, thanking them for their loyalty and friendship - make sure the notes are in your own handwriting - they'll appreciate the effort.

 3. Find out what other needs your customers have and try to give them proven solutions or referrals - help them with no expectations.

 4. If your customers have their own business, refer them to people you know - ask your customer if it's ok to refer them so they know you're doing it and it doesn't seem like a sales tactic.

5. Give extra value in your products or services without changing the price - this must be value as perceived by the customer, not just you.

6. Send your customers a gift if they refer someone to you and they buy - don't tell them you do this as a policy, just do it and surprise them!

7. Offer your loyal, long standing customers your latest product at cost or close to it - again the key is the element of surprise and spread the offers out so you don't lose your shirt. This is a show of appreciation, not a sale!