If relevant, why not annually wish your clients a happy birthday or anniversary (and perhaps include a special offer)?

Two ideas:

1. For letters, enter the date onto an Excel spreadsheet along with the mailing details. Sort the list each month and do a mail merge to those with current birthdays.

2. Create a recurring Task in Outlook (or To Do in Lotus) that will pop up once every year.
You can immediately email that person a happy birthday. You go to genius status when you create a signature and insert that in the body of the email. The only work you do is type their name and a subject line.

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Peter Klem, of Lindentech, Western Australia, says that being taken for granted is a terrible abuse of relationship. Every time he receives an order for any goods from his clients, he immediately emails an acknowledgement of their order and thanks them for their continued support. He also adds expected delivery dates and any further relevant information.

It serves three purposes:

1. Confirmation of the items ordered.

2. Recognition of the client and appreciation for their business.

3. It allows him to engage the client positively, should there be any potential delay of delivery.

It’s about building and maintaining bridges – it’s not rocket science, it’s social engineering.

If you like this tip please share it with your friends and colleagues.