Relationship Marketing | Build Your Online Business

Studies indicate that many people suffer from e-mail fatigue.  They receive so many e-mails per day that they miss important ones.  Just do an informal survey of many of your customers and friends and you'll find that they either have not checked their e-mail in a few days or they only open e-mails from people they immediately recognize.

What this tells us is that you cannot rely on communicating with your network, including clients and customers, by e-mail only.  And you will agree that communication is the lifeblood of any relationship.  It therefore means that you have to use other more effective methods of communication like the telephone as well as written communication.

Many persons, especially in Direct Sales, seem to find making telephone calls a challenge and somehow that instrument can morph into a 40-lb. object.  If you are one of those persons, work hard at overcoming your reluctance to use the telephone.  Perhaps positive affirmations may help like, "The telephone is my friend." "The telephone helps me to communicate and build relationships with my customers." How about "The telephone helps me to pay my bills?"

Of course, for this to be effective, you have to set the parameters.  For example, if you plan to spend two solid hours of telephone calls, decide how many customers you plan to call and limit your conversation with each customer to a specific period.  Help them understand that this is a business call rather than a social one and while you keep the call friendly, you need to stick to your outline and control the call.  Rather than being offended, you hope your customers respect the fact that you are working  in your business.

Use the time to learn about your customers' needs and get their feedback on how you can help to make their lives a little easier.  Make detailed notes.  They may not need your product or service right away, but by really listening to their comments you can offer products or services that meet the needs expressed during the conversation at a later date. Remember to let your customers know how much you appreciate their business and how special they are to you.

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Yvonne Jones is a
home-based Entrepreneur and Direct Sales Consultant who works with small business owners and
entrepreneurs to build and maintain relationships with their clients
through regular communication.  To learn more about how this can be
done easily and effectively, visit her website at
http://cardsuccesscircle.com. 

She
also partners with women to develop a skin care program to meet their
specific needs. To learn more, visit her blog at
http://www.yvonneajones.com