Today’s corporate and business industry has seen a change like never before. Business and professional dealings have become more relationship-based than just product or price-based. Whatever you are out there to sell, whether holidays or education, the demand and the budget are already there.

To build a strong and loyal client base, you need to do more than sell; you need to build a relationship with them. Once that is done, your market share and performance to deliver results will rise considerably. Product and price being a constant, we prefer to deal with people who we get along with. Here are some simple yet powerful tips to build strong relationships with clients and make them loyal to your brand.

FIND OUT WHAT YOUR CLIENT LIKES

In most of my meetings, I often ask: “What do you like?’ What are your hobbies? What makes you happy?” One client told me the colour purple made her happy. I once sent her a custom-made purple diary with a note, “I saw a purple diary and thought of you”. Another client said he had a hobby of collecting pencils . Over three months, I collected pencils of all kinds, and sent him a shoebox full of pencils. My clients were so delighted. This was not just another gift, it was a gesture of friendship, of letting them know subtly that you care about them and what is important to them. I have such a strong relationship with them that they are the biggest promoters of my work.