Satisfied customers are the best PR. Happy clients will gladly brag about your business all over town, sharing stories that illustrate how your product or service is totally bananas.
And the best way to convert someone from ho-hum customer into a crazed, raving fan is to dish out some celebrity treatment.
Roll out the red carpet for your customers with these 3 star-worthy strategies.
1. Give the VIP Welcome
Customers are very important people (hence VIP). Without them, we have zilch.
My personal “welcome package” for coaching clients consists of a 2-hour “welcome party” where we discuss all of their dreams and goals with unbridled giddiness. I also send all of my new clients a special gift before we begin our coaching.
And I’m not alone – plenty of businesses use this same model. I recently read about a plumbing supply store that consistently smacked-down the competition because they offered free coffee + donuts to the workers as they came in to pick up supplies. Free breakfast and caffeine fix every day = VIP treatment.
2. Meet Demands
Most A-list (and some B + C-list) celebrities have something called a “contract rider” – a list of demands that must be met. This can be anything from dietary restrictions to clean socks to quirkier items like Jennifer Lopez’s alleged demand for all white décor in every dressing room.
A fun strategy is to create a “customer rider” where you can ask about favorite foods, beverages, spirits, hobbies, sports, entertainers, etc.
This will especially come in handy if you’re planning client excursions. Better to know if your customer is more “Football Game” than “Britney Spears concert” before plunking down the money on non-refundable tickets.
3. Celebrate their Achievements
It’s easy for customers to roll right over their achievements, unless you’re there to make them stop and smell the roses.
A few years ago I was featured in Redbook magazine and one of my coaches – Janice Hoffman – had the page made into a glossy postcard and mailed it to me with a congratulatory note. My hairdresser also clipped and saved the article and tucked it safely in her drawer for me when I came in for my cut + color. This gave me the warm + fuzzies, and I still remember these incidents even years later.
Just last night I took my client out to dinner to celebrate her impending national magazine feature and upcoming speaking engagements. Instead of pushing right on to the next media placement or the next speaking gig, I really wanted her to take a moment to sit an relish in all of her accomplishments. Plus, we had yummy thai food – and any excuse to eat is golden ☺
TAKE ACTION: How to can you deliver the celebrity treatment to your customers so they feel like royalty? Post a comment below about something you already do, or something you want to try.
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Kudos on the article, Melissa! This is common sense, but sorely lacking in today's marketplace. Two things I try to remember every day:
1. A person's name (ie Use the person's name when you say hello; do not send out mail or items to "Dear Subscriber"
2. One unique thing about that person (child, dog, hobby — conversation starter, right?)
A little bit of personal attention goes a long way!
Best, Laura
Melissa, I LOVE the idea of a "Welcome Party"…and the spark to get more creative about ways to celebrate client's results. Thanks for both of those things.
My favorite "A-list" treatment is to do things people don't ask for, especially when it meets a need they didn't even know they had. As a personal trainer, many of my clients come in to work out for an hour. They don't expect extra workouts and instructions for what to do on the days when we're not together, or a PDF with 27 pages of healthy recipes – but they freaking love it. And, everybody wins because they get better results. Yes!
I send hand written "THank You" notes to clients regularly. It is always a hit and is more personal than an e-mail.
I LOVE, LOVE going the extra mile for my clients. Like you, I do a special welcome session and a pre-session gift. Since most of my clients are women aspiring to be entrepreneurs, I always mail them a handmade card and a beautiful business card holder once they zero in on their business name and logo. There's something about them receiving this small token that makes their business feel real and pushes them to take their business to the next level.
Conversely, when I work with my life clients, I send them a gift certificate for a spa in their area whenever they experience major breakthroughs as a way to remind them to take time for themselves.
These small, unexpected touches remind my clients how much I value them and their trust in my ability to help them. And I can't lie, it really makes me feel good to know I've brightened up their day.
Since my clients are often not in my local area, I keep a record of their enrollment date and/or their birth-dates. Then I send them a handwritten card, thanking them for their business and any other comments that are appropriate. On "big" anniversaries, 3 years, 5 years, I send a small gift as well.
I also leave occasional phone messages, and emails between times – about every 3-4 months. And when they first enroll, they get a small booklet that explains their benefits and fun facts about our products.
I'll be watching for more ideas as I know you can't ever celebrate people too much!
… great post melissa!!
whenever i have a great connection with a new customer at Pink Olive, i'll be sure to write down a few things from our conversation in my clientelle book so that i remember them
a week or two later, i send them a nice personalized email to thank them for coming to the shop and ask them about something that we specifically talked about about.
it's something so simple but it's easier for people to just plop an email into a mailing list, never to personally touch base again…. but when you send that first, follow-up email in a personalized way, they feel special, they feel loved, they feel remembered…. they feel like a celebrity and will come back for more!
xoxo
grace
Melissa I am using Red Stamp and Pixy Me apps on my iphone to send fun text message postcards to new contacts. It is such a great way to give them that special treatment and they love it. Great Blog Post too–will be using some of your ideas in the future!
Hi Melissa, I love this post!
I always hand write a thank you note with each order, and I like to include some little goodies too, but this really has me thinking- I wonder what I could do which would have a serious WOW factor for my fabulous customers.
I just printed up some postcards which say "you are completely and utterly brilliant", I might make some more which say "I am completely and utterly brilliant" so people can keep one all to themselves to feel extra specially awesome that day and every day.
I'll be mulling this one over today, thanks for the inspiration!
Hi Melissa!
I love my patients(I practice acupuncture). They mean the world to me so I love going the extra mile for them. Right now I am in the process of setting up a blog for them so they will have access to information on how they can better care for their health and enhance their sessions with me. During their first session we discuss their health goals and so when they reach their goals I send them a $5 gift card to Whole Foods. They love it and feel encouraged to keep going. It gives me such joy to observe their changes. It's like watching magic happen every time.
Hello Melissa, I love your blog this week. DOVE Inc is a nonprofit organization for women. We coach and mentor women who are in desperate need of breaking through whatever is holding them back from receiving all that God has for them. My business is built on relationships so it is important for me to let my clients know they are very special.
For new clients, we give them a DOVE Care's gift bag when we meet with them. This gift bag includes signed inspirational notes from me in a journal, bible, and a daily devotional.
The ladies absolutely love it because it something that is tangible and they can use as a keep sake to constantly remind they are victorious.
Maya Angelo has a quote I absolutely love "people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel".
Have an awesome day!
These are absolutely fabulous ideas, Melissa. Thanks for sharing them. Now I have some great new ways to show some client love : )
As always, great post!
Love this! You made me feel like a celebrity with the thank you gift and card! You've inspired me to be sure to take the time to physically show my appreciation and make my clients/readers feel like a celebrity! Thank you!
Hey Melissa!
I love the star treatment given to others by anyone. Here at Merci Cadeaux along with a personal thank you note we send video clips of the Random Act of Kindness or Love Ambush to our clients so they have the memory of making that persons day to watch over and over again.
I always offer a percentage discount for my customers after an order to make them feel important, valued and hopefully coming back for more later! I love this article, you have such a way with words!
Hey Melissa!
Love, love the tips in your posting! I especially loved being the recipient of that celebrity treatment last night! You DEFINITELY walk your talk! The wonderful Thai food and surprise Goddess card gift were awesome!
XO!!!
Marion
My business isn't running yet, but I can talk about what I used to do. In a prior business, I always shipped products by Priority Mail. I twas easier than estimating postage, and made the customer feel special. Unfortunately, I had to close the business due to a crippling injury, or I'd still be doing it.
Hi Melissa,
This is a great post! We are always keeping in the front of minds to always show our clients we appreciate them. We do Birthday cards for our client's children. Like many people, we do Thank you cards. I am reworking our referral program to donate to schools and other children based causes.
Best Wishes,
Renee
Great post Melissa! I think these are things that small businesses sometime forget. I answer every phone call personally and I send personal thank you notes in every package so customers know I truly appreciate their business!
Love the idea of the 'meet demands' checklist – I usually collect basics list bday and important people, but think asking a few key and quirky questions will help my clients feel appreciated, like I am really interested in knowing who they are and let me really treat them like the VIPs they are!
Thanks for the great info Melissa – you always deliver! You ROCK!
Great article Melissa! I love getting a gift. So when I ship out an order to my customers, I wrap it with a ribbon and include a free gift + coupon for next time. My customers really appreciate it!
My mineral cosmetics company processes a lot of orders on a daily basis so it's hard to keep up with individual demands but we consider customer service number one. Some things we do without fail for every customer, is personally thank them by handwriting our thanks with their name on their order sheet. If they're a new customer, we include extra samples of whatever they ordered PLUS samples of our other items. If it's a repeat customer, we have one person who's only job, is to individually email them and thank them for their order, we do not use auto emails. We also ask them if there's anything in particular that they'd like to try. Our fan page currently has almost 5,500 people on it and we use it to our advantage to cater to our ladies such as asking them what color their dream pigment is, then we take time at the end of each week to re-create these colors. The owner of the company looks for all customers on Facebook so they are directly in contact with the owner should they have any questions or comments. Doing this also allows us to personally thank them on their Facebook page, say Happy Birthdays, or Congrats when it's due, compliment their pictures, etc…We, as a company really do go out of our way for our customers which a lot of cosmetic company's no longer do once they get really busy with orders, we're going into our 6th year and still make this a priority. We hit a lot of bumps though before we realized this and now that we have, things are super smooth. So, to whomever wins the gift card, use every single bit of it to invest in some gifts for your customers to let them know how special and important they are <3
Great post Melissa!
I always include a personalized handwritten note in each jewelry order. Our custom jewelry is made to order and I like to share a little about the studio the day we crafted the gems as well as a little mini treat.
I've recently became obsessed with Yummy Earth lollipops; they're so good! They've become my afternoon treat in the studio (ok and sometimes morning and evening as well!) I enjoyvthe yumminess!
As a holistic counselor and life coach, the personalized treatment to my clients include going the extra mile when they need it (extra healings and unplanned times when necessary), a private journal on my website that keeps them working between sessions and a client-only area for book reviews and other material that helps them with their development. I live in Switzerland, and when I travel to areas where my clients live, I make sure they get swiss chocolates and an in-person session. Thanks for all the great tips, I came to your blog recently through a link on the ICF website, great work!
Beautiful post, "VIP" is such a wonderful way of describing a client.
I have a question Melissa… How do you thank people for referrals? Do you have a special way of expressing your gratitude? Have you set up an 'affiliate' system so that you express your gratitude financially? Or does that feel icky to you?
I have a hunch you might have an interesting perspective on this topic that I'm thinking about a lot at the moment.
With love and gratitude
Corrina
Hi Corrina! For referrals, I send them a special gift as a thank you based on what I know about them. For example, I just got a referral recently from someone who loves wine, so I sent a nice vintage bottle. Another person that provided referrals loves handmade goodies, so I sent her something handmade. If you have an affiliate system, that would be the compensation. I personally don’t do any affiliate arrangements so I go the “gift” route. If you choose that, you can always develop a “rider” for your referral partners so you can get them something on their wish list!
I really enjoy your blog Melissa! What I do make my customers feel like a celebrity is I always give more than what I was asked for. Every order, every consultation, every appointment. It is incredibly important to me that my customers, clients, friends and family always feel treasured and respected and that I would just about anything for them, This varies according to each interaction and/or need of course. But my heart-felt response is the same.
Great advice, Melissa!! Just the other day I congratulated a former client on an online feature I saw her in. She was not only incredibly excited that I noticed and took the time to write her, but she had also not even seen the feature! So my paying attention really benefitted her. She made it very obvious how grateful she was and it taught me that even when I think I'm doing something small (like this simple note of congratulations I sent her), I could very well be doing something big. And recognizing our clients' achievements makes a huge difference in their lives and businesses, and in their success.
I LOVED these tips and I especially love the idea of giving clients a welcome present when they sign up. It is a great way to show them how much I appreciate them and that I am excited to work with them. I'm a dating coach so I'm going to think about what the perfect present would be for my brand new clients. Thanks!
Thanks Tracey – I think a little welcome gift would be amazing in your industry!