The Key Principles of Relationship Marketing

Most of business owners fail to effectively attract and retain lifetime customers. Why? because they fail to realize the key principles of relationship marketing, that converts potential customers into repeat clients.

To succeed in your business, your main goal should be to build a responsive email list of lifetime customers from your targeted market who trust you, feel grateful to you and value your recommendation.

A good relationship with loyal customers is worth a fortune. That's the most valuable thing any business can have. The key here is to build your large list of lifetime customers who trust you. Achieve this and you're set for life.

For that reason you need to learn the key principles of relationship marketing to be able to apply relationship marketing concepts to your business.

What Is a CRM? Or What is Customer Relationship Marketing? 

Relationship marketing is the method of gradually turning website visitors into subscribers and leads them from position to position along a planned program to convert them into life time customers.

Think of relationship building as the foundation to your business. It establishes you as a professional, trust worthy and a consistent source.

Key Principles of Relationship Marketing.

Building small business crm online is more difficult when compared to offline customer relationship building. The techniques used are almost the same. But, turning a potential customer into lifetime customer offline is easier due to the nature of the process. In online marketing you can’t meet your clients in person like in offline marketing. But, you can deliver what you want if you think of your potential clients in each step you make when building your business and use crm tool.

Relationship marketing is a process, not just a one-time commitment. It starts the moment you think about building a business and continue as long as you stay in using crm solutions. 

1 - Know your potential customers

Before you start building your business; you need to determine your targeted market and know your potential customers. Learn how to know your customers to develop effective tactics for delivering your message to them. What crm solution is the best?

To build a responsive customer base start getting to know your customers by taking some very simple steps.

• Determine in advance where your potential customers congregate.

• What newsletter they read?

• What forums they visit and post to?

• Subscribe to the social media websites and follow them crefully for a while.

• What else might do while surfing the net?

• Etc...

The best places where you find your prospects are sicial media websites, forums, discussion groups and discussion boards. Go there and figure out:

• What’s your potential customers’ problem?

• What they are looking for?

• What kind of business they are involved in?

• How they want their problem to be solved?

• What words they use?

Only by knowing your customers' wants and needs you can successfully grow your business and be totally customer-oriented. In order to tailor your marketing and advertising strategies to appeal to the tastes and interests of your market, you must first identify your customers.

small business crm is not only based on knowing who your visitors are, but on knowing your customers’ and prospects’ specific needs.

Note: To attract more subscribers and build a strong relationship marketing the easy way use your prospects words. If you feel their pain and use their words when posting to social media websites, forums, sending message, etc… they’ll be related to you. You will be one of them; you are not a stranger then they will be likely to trust you and consider your recommendation.

2 - Show your expertise

The majority of businesses people, never completely and clearly display their knowledge to potential customers. Show to your targeted market you are the leader in your industry and they will follow you.

People like to learn about your experiences. They like to follow the expert's steps to avoid mistakes and reach success the easy way with less investment in time and money.

3 - Start a dialog to establish trust.

Set up a continuing dialog to establish trust. Trust is a vital step to building long-time relationship. This dialog should starts as soon as your visitors submit information along with their email addresses. This explains their interest in your business. In return, you give them what promised when they subscribed and keep contacts at periodic intervals by sending quality information to your subscribers. Such a email course, free ebooks, articles, etc...

Your goal is to create long term relationships marketing with your subscribers. To do that you must invest time to gather available sources and high quality information and put it at your prospects’ disposal to help them succeed. Remember, maintaining customer enthusiasm and creating customer loyalty is your key to success.

4 - Follow up

Dialog leads to follow-up. Hook your subscribers with your follow up messages series. Set up a series of follow up messages to send quality information to every new subscriber. Professionalism is the key to successful relationship. Create an email course to help your customers and potential customers

The main purpose of follow up is to remain visible to your subscribers so, when the need arise and a prospect wants to make a purchase, your product will be the first one the subscriber thinks of.

If you want to make good money your mission will not cease at selling one product. Going after one sale is worthless. Following up with your customer after the sale is made is a great tactic. This important step will help you strength your relationship, decrease the refund proclamations and keep your customer baying from you again and a gain. When you reach an important nuber of sales I suggest you hook up your customers to a crm tool! 

Keep following up; don’t stop and be creative. Don’t send your customers only sales messages. From time to time send free useful product they don’t find elsewhere that can help them make money and/or save time. Send special offers with discount for loyal customers only. Keep them up to date and to the point with latest news, etc…

5- Offer good customer service

Some people will start an online business and only focus on what services or products they can sell to make money. They are not worried about establishing good relationship with their customers and potential clients. To establish a good relationship marketing....

• Answer your prospects’ requests as soon as you receive them.

• Replay to every email within 24 hours with the needed response whether it is a question, concern or simply someone looking for more information.

• Treat your customers right: Even if you offer the best products or services, most customers will evaluate your business by how they were treated while doing business with you. For that reason, it's important to take care of your customers, build strong relationship marketing and give them the best product or service they want.

By providing great customer service to the people you do business with, you will get customers coming back to you again and again to buy your products or services.

Note: If you want to stay in your customers’ minds serve them better. You can do this by collecting information from your customers’ feedback. Having a contacts page on your website with a comments or feedback form will keep you informed about your customers’ wants and problems. If you publish a newsletter, you can also accomplish this by asking for feedback from your subscribers.

This is a great way of making your audience know you care about what they have to say and how important they are to you. When you show interest in your customers you will build credibility and loyalty.

6 - Educate your subscribers

Put at your customers disposal manuals, frequently asked question (FAQ), articles, reports, etc… to help them learn how to use your product or service perfectly. Educate your subscribers to help them build interest and loyalty for your business.

Lifetime clients want you to be their trusted advisor. The more you educate your customers by offering them a variety of options, the greater your chance to earn their lifetime business. Education strengthens relationship marketing with clients. offer a crm management tool to rise your sales.

7 - Sell or recommend only quality products

Sell quality products that have value, plus offer a guarantee and stand behind it. One of the quickest ways to destroy a business relationship is selling poor quality products and not standing behind what you promise.

If you want to promote other marketers’ affiliate programs from your website, take the time to investigate the companies you advocate. Promote only products from legitimate companies with solid Internet presence. Remember the companies you suggest will have an impact on your business reputation.

Relationship marketing is the corner stone of every business. If you follow these key principles of relationship marketing, you'll be on your way to building a responsive opt in email list which will lead to more and better sales.