Like this article? PLEASE +1 it! Evan Signature
Evan Carmichael Top Header
Share for a Cause









Professional Success Tips - 10 Ways to Be Top of Mind With Past Clients and Referrers

Written by: Alvah Parker

Article Overview: While marketing to potential clients is important it is equally important to stay top of mind with past clients and referrers. Professional success is more likely when you get referrals from people who are already familiar with your work and find it valuable. Sometimes it is hard to come up with excuses to get in touch with referrers and past clients, here are 10 suggestions.

Free Download - How To Be Happy at Work? Acknowledge Yourself By Alvah Parker
Name: Email:

Professional Success Tips - 10 Ways to Be Top of Mind With Past Clients and Referrers

Why is it important to be top of mind to your past clients and referrers? In order to achieve professional success many focus their marketing actions on attending meetings to meet potential clients. While meeting potential clients is important don't overlook your past clients and other people who have already referred to you. Past clients and referrers know and trust you and the service you provide. They are already convinced that you do good work! They can be great sales people for you. Here are some marketing tips to be top of mind with them. It will lead to professional success for you!

1. Client Survey - Once you have completed the work for the client, ask him or her to rate your service. This will help you to improve as well as give the client an opportunity to be involved in the way you practice. If you make a change as a result of the survey, be sure to let those who answered the survey know.

2. Cards - Mark important occasions with a card or note - Be sure to send holiday cards, birthday cards, and notes on any other special occasion.

3. Shared Interests - Do you and the client or referrer share an interest? It could be golf, theater, or stamp collecting. Find an event applicable to that interest. Invite the client to go with you.

4. Your Interest - Share an interest of yours with the client or referrer. Perhaps you have a boat or volunteer for a museum. Invite the client or referrer to participate in your interest.

5. Client Interest - Client or referrers have their own outside interests that they sometimes mention. When appropriate attend an event in which you know the client or referrer has an active interest. As an example the client may be active in a particular charity that has an annual fundraiser. Join the client at the event.

6. Mailing list - Use email addresses or regular mail to periodically update the client or referrer about changes in your specialty and/or changes in your practice.

7. Promotional Item - Send or give client or referrer an interesting promotional item. There are lots of interesting items that clients might value. Get creative here or stick with the tried and true: Pens, Pads of paper, business card holders etc.

8. Open house - This is a nice way to thank past clients and valued referrers. Many professionals have a yearly event. Give a short welcoming talk to update clients and referrers about new employees and anything else that is new for you and your practice.

9. Presentation - When making a presentation that has interest to particular past clients or referrers, be sure to invite them to the presentation. A professional could also give the same presentation in his/her own office specifically for their clients and referrers. By inviting a group of clients and referrers to your office to hear the presentation you are giving them the added benefit of networking with each other.

10. Telephone call - If you haven't seen a client or referrer in a while, give them a call just to see how they are doing. Past clients and referrers appreciate and value your attention and kindness.

Related Articles
  Relationship Building for Professionals
  The Referral Habit - Sales and Marketing Training
  Can This Networking Group Help Me Build My Business?
  Referral Program
  Start small and really network

Home > Business-Coach > Alvah Parker > Professional Success Tips 10 Ways to Be Top of Mind With Past Clients and Referrers
Article Tags: marketing, professional success, referrals, success tips, top of mind

About the Author: Alvah Parker
RSS for Alvah's articles - Visit Alvah's website

Alvah Parker is a Practice Advisor (The Attorneys’ Coach) and a Career Changers’ Coach as well as publisher of "Parker’s Points", an email tip list and "Road to Success", an ezine. Subscribe now to these free monthly publications at her website http://www.asparker.com/samples.html and receive a free values assessment. Work becomes more meaningful and enjoyable when you work from your values. Alvah Parker began her career as a high school chemistry teacher. She later transitioned to a sales career at AT&T. As a Sales Professional at AT&T for 15 years she was elected to the prestigious Counsel of Leaders for the top 3% of the sales force. After leaving AT&T she transitioned into a coaching career.  Alvah is a senior coach for Boxwood Technology where she coaches association members on career issues and also  a SCORE Business Counselor where she advises and counsels small business owners. Parker’s Value Program© enables her clients to find their own way to work that is more fulfilling and profitable. Her clients are attorneys, entrepreneurs, managers and people in transition who want to find work that is in line with their own values. Alvah is found on the web at http://www.asparker.com. She may also be reached at 781-598-0388.

Click here to visit Alvah's website
Dashed Line

More from Alvah Parker
Working Too Many Hours Is Counter Productive
Structure Builds Confidence
Ten Tips for Being a Productive Team Member for Attorneys
Top Ten Answers to Prove You Are Never Too Old to Try Something New
10 Warning Signs That Prospective Client Is Not Right For You


Related Forum Posts
Business Tips Business Tips - How about: Tips for managers to handle employees more effectively? Tips on how to deal with difficult customers? Tips on how to deal more effectively with suppliers? The only three I have in mind right now, but will try to come up with something else. Chris
Re: Who Did You Learn Most From and Why? Re: Who Did You Learn Most From and Why? - Hi Martin, You missed out on the most essential community that helps you grow - Your Clients. Well, I believe that my Initial Clients have been the ones who have given me the moments of 'aha' in my business. They have stood by me even when I was a starter and that has helped me shape and build my stand. They have helped me grow as an entrepreneur, learn to have loads of patience and make the most of what comes across. They have also helped me to strengthen me as a person. btw, personally speaking, my Grandfather always kept me on track and lent me emotional support when I was down in any matter - be it business or otherwise.
Re: How to Manage Your Emails Re: How to Manage Your Emails - Kevin - I have a lot of subfolders and I've been creating rules for new emails, using outlook. In a perfect world this could be done as the messages come in so 'future' messages will get routed right into their little folders - the thing is, you have to remember to scan those folders or you miss the incoming messages. Some of my Subfolders - Vendors Current Projects Estimates Past Clients Forums Friends and Family My Websites GT - [quote:3xmyx5l3]Hi, Russell: Sad to say, I am visually oriented ... which (for me) simply means "Out of sight, out of mind." (Hey. The wife has been saying that second part about me for years!) I haven't been able to take advantage of email filtering options - or, I haven't made the attempt to. My concern is that I will get lazy about checking all those filtered files and will miss something important. I like to see it in my inbox in the order they came in so I KNOW it's there and can deal with them one at a time. For me (being visual), it would be frustrating to have to check SEVERAL folders each time I look at my mail just to see if something new came into those folders. I want it front and center so I don't miss it.[/quote:3xmyx5l3] In this case you could track incoming emails if all previous msgs are opened - Then you scan n your subfolders for new 'unopened emails'. It works for me - though I get your point completely...
Immigrant entrepreneurs Immigrant entrepreneurs - It's smart to make them have to have a net worth of $300,000 before they can come into the country and some previous experience as an entrepreneur. Past performance is a good indicator of future success.
Coaching Women vs. Males Coaching Women vs. Males - Tami, Do you have any clients from Eastern Canada? I was wondering if Coaching Clients from either Coast was any different. Also is it different coaching women entrepreneurs vs. males?


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.



Featured Article


Bottom Footer
Share for a Cause












Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!
Name:
Email:
Popular Articles

How to Sell to the Price Driven Customer

Sales Training – Top Salespeople Are Not Dunces

Do You Deserve To Be Happy and Successful?

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.