The Fourth Key: Relationships – Faux Relationships

It's amazing to me how much good information some companies have about their clients and customers but how poorly they use it.

I'm pretty good friends with the owner of a large car dealership in my area. I admire him, his family, and what he's been able to do with building a good business. (And to preserve this, I won't identify him specifically – HE is not what matters nor does his dealership; what matters is how he responds, which is similar to what many businesses do… so I hope you can see the lessons here.)

I get my car serviced in his shop, I've purchased several cars from him, and I've recommended him to others (which has resulted in more purchases).

But I can't get him to send me a personal note no matter what I tell him.

Understand this: the "itch" cycle for someone in the US (for buying a new car) begins around 30 months after a purchase.

That's right – people start thinking about a new car after about 2.5 years of driving their present car.

[OK... so in the 2008 - 2009 Worldwide Economic Meltdown timetables have been stretched as the economy is tight... but go along with me so you can see the point I'm making.]

Don't get me wrong: I get LOTS of mail from the company (the manufacturer of the car). Brochures, mass-produced mailings, even some letters and postcards that pretend to come from the dealer, but it's so clear that everything is sent from corporate headquarters, not my friend.

He has never once asked me to buy another car from him.

His service technician is the person I've stayed most closely in touch with, yet this guy isn't compensated in a way to encourage his asking me about buying a new car, so he doesn't.

How easy it would be for my service writer to tell me about some of the improvements made to the most recent version of my car – he doesn't need to "push" – I have great faith in this guy who continues to get my car to the front of the line when I need service.

And every time I get one of those "corporate" letters that "seems" to be from my dealer, it gets me angry – "Do they really think I'm so stupid that I can't tell that this wasn't sent to me by my friend," I think.

And that's what YOUR clients think, too, when you personalize a mailing (in name only).

Send a brief note to your best clients to stay in touch.

Building PersonalTouch relationships takes time and care – hey, that's how YOU want to be treated, right?

Do the same for your clients and they will reward you with years of doing business together.

And now – leave me a comment here to tell me what YOU feel about this!

Best,

Charlie Seymour Jr
Blogging, Podcasting, Consulting

PS: You can find me here:

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Charlie Seymour Jr is an entrepreneurial evangelist and marketing-success coach helping individuals and companies (up to $100MM) explode their success through online and personal-touch marketing. He specializes in blogging, podcasting, photography, video, and Facebook applications. Visit his blog at http://bit.ly/24eYTO to learn more about his successes.

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