Customer Relationship Management:
Mastering Profitable Relationships

What is it about your organization's customer relationship management practices which identify you as competitive , unique or first-class ? Who are your customers?   What do they want?   How we can more effectively persuade our existing customers to purchase more of our products and services, while referring even more prospective new customers our way?   We'll talk about how to deal with some of the "newer" challenges to our effectiveness, including faster information velocity, capacity, bandwidth and our own mobility. You'll leave with a "Top 25 Tip List" for gaining repeat business and new business!

To ensure profitable relationships with customers, among the questions we need to ask ourselves and prepare to ask our customers are:

• Who are our customers?
• Who are our clients?
• What makes a customer a client?
• How many transactions do we need to truly make a customer a client?
• What are the quality measures our customers use with us to decide if they are interested in a long-term relationship?
• What do our customers need?
• What do our customers want?
• What questions may we ask to help solve customer problems?
• How may we continue to remain customer-focused in everything we do?
• What techniques are we using which are already effective with customers?
• Why do our best customers choose to do business with us and continue doing business with us?
• How effectively can we repeat with everyone those behaviors which our satisfied customers value?
• How regularly are we contacting and communicating with customers?
• Are we engaged in "quality communication" with customers?
• Are we continually "present" with our customers?
• How can we be sure we are continually providing value to customers?
• What Customer Relationship Management technologies are we using to communicate effectively with customers and prospective customers?
• How effectively are we using these CRM technologies?
• How proactively are we contacting customers and prospects to identify their needs?
• How proactively are we engaging existing customers to continually identify their additional needs and anticipate their future needs?
• What are we doing to effectively close sales?
• What are we doing to master profitable customer relationships?

Approaching the Customer

• Offering an appropriate greeting
• Expressing empathy
• Remembering the value of long-term customers
• Making customers "feel special"

Communication Skills

• Body Language
• Spoken Communication
• Written Communication
• Face-to-Face Communication
• Telephone Skills
• Obtaining and retaining important customer information

Developing a Winning Attitude

• The Power of Positive Thinking
• Handling Stress
• Handling Complaints
• Winning Back Unhappy Customers

Empowerment Means Customer Retention and Referrals

• Taking Responsibility
• Using Common Sense
• Effective Listening Techniques Never Go Out of Style
• "Why should I want to come back?"
• "Were you satisfied?"
• "Who else do you know who would benefit from our service?"