It probably has not escaped your notice that Valentine’s Day is approaching. Hearts, candies, lace…so let’s talk about love.
What’s love, after all? When you feel “love love,” you want to make the other person is happy and be happy alongside them. You aim to build a relationship that lasts. You want to understand them better than they understand themselves, to give before receiving. When you love, you commit to the other person’s well-being.
Those same actions and goals are the foundation for customer love. The process we go through to build our personal romantic relationships have analogies to how we build customer relationships. Dating in the real world translates to discovery and awareness in the business world. Wooing is getting to know each other better. Sales cycle equals understanding what they want. Market research? Making a good impression, seeing if you can get their friends to like you. Product management, product marketing, and promotion are how you keep a good thing going—even when the “product” is you! Then onto a successful onboarding and customer success. (Certainly, there are differences between romantic love, Eros, and the brotherly/sisterly love called Philia that I think captures “customer love”— bear in mind this is a PG-rated essay.)
Three simple and creative ways you can show customer 
Thanks for sitting through the philosophical musings. Relationships, customer or otherwise, require maintenance and care, from reaching out to show your appreciation to simply letting someone know you are thinking about them. Here are three quick tips to build customer , starting as soon as this Valentine’s Day.
- Let leaders lead the way. Give senior management a call sheet and schedule at least two customer calls for each leader in your business. Their only agenda is to say “thanks for being our customer” and let them know your company appreciates their business. If you like, ask how you’re doing and if they have any feedback. This call doesn’t need to take more than 5 minutes, and you’ll give a few people a story to tell, as well as personalize your customer relationships in the C-Suite. Set it up ahead of time or have a salesperson schedule the call and introduce the leader.
- Write a thank you note. Gratitude is always welcome. Everyone in the sales organization has regular customers and favorite customers who are good to work with and help them make their numbers. A short note just to say you appreciate them would be a nice surprise that brings you top of mind.
- Take stock of your assets. Remember, a key to loving others is loving yourself. Take a moment—at your desk, on a walk—and make a list of the things others love about working with you. I mean you, the individual, and you, the organization. What are you personally good at and how do you make customers feel the ? What are the key benefits your product or service brings to your customers—what problems do you solve for them and why do they keep coming back? This simple exercise will give you a reminder of why you are special, and perhaps some new ideas on how to talk about the value you deliver to your customers.
It’s never the wrong time to focus on love AND profit (use the link to request our free eBook!). This year make Valentine’s Day special in business as well as your personal life.
If Valentine’s Day is your thing I wish you a day of fun, wonder, awe, and love!