The Pareto Principle, or 80-20 rule, tells us that 80% of our sales come from 20% of our clients. It therefore goes without saying that keeping those clients coming back to us should be one of our top priorities. With April being International Customer Loyalty Month, let’s look at a few things we can do to make that happen.

Underpromise and Overdeliver

In other words, don’t create expectations you can’t meet. If you believe you can complete something by Wednesday if you really pull out the stops, don’t tell your clients you’ll have it done by Wednesday just to make them happy. If you encounter unexpected complications or interruptions, you won’t be able to meet that deadline, and your clients won’t be happy after all! Instead, say you’ll have it done by Friday. Then, if it’s done by Wednesday, or even Thursday, your clients will be really impressed, and know they can count on you in the future.

Show Your Appreciation

Reward your regular clients with occasional freebies or discounts. Send a greeting card instead of an email from time to time (a VA can help you stay on top of this). Be sure to thank them when they send other business your way, possibly with a gift card or a credit for a free service.

Take the Time to Check In

If someone is doing business with you on a regular basis, they are probably happy with your services, but you know what they say about ASS-U-ME-ing! Make a point of touching base every once in a while just to see how things are going.

Are they 100% satisfied? If not, how can you improve?

What are their future plans? Is there a way you can help, either by providing additional services or by connecting them with other professionals? A client who comes to you for a specific thing may not be aware of the other services you offer.

What do you do to keep your clients coming back?

Please visit From the Desk of Janet Barclay to read and comment on 3 Simple Ways to Create Client Loyalty.

Once in a while I’m asked to do something I’ve never done before. This probably happens to a lot of people, but I think it’s especially common with virtual assistants. Since, as an industry, we offer such a wide range of services, there are always going to be new software programs and online services, and it’s next to impossible to have training and experience in all of them. One way to handle this situation is to subcontract the work.

By subcontracting, not only do you save the client the time and trouble of locating another service provider, but you have the opportunity to earn some income. This can work well if you already know someone with the necessary skills, particularly if you’ve worked with them before and have an existing subcontractor agreement in place.

On the other hand, if you need to find someone with the required level of expertise, it may be more trouble than it’s worth. If there aren’t many people with that particular skill, how long will it take you to find someone who is willing to take on a subcontract? Will you be able to make enough money from the arrangement to make it worth your while? What is the likelihood that you’ll need to call upon this person again in the future?

I rarely work with subcontractors myself, preferring to refer clients to service providers they can deal with directly. However, when the person requesting the service is an existing client, or a potential new client who also requires services which I can provide, I will tap into my network and contact someone with whom I already have a working relationship, or who is recommended by someone I know and trust, to discuss the possibility of a subcontract.

It’s important to remember that your subcontractor’s work, good or bad, will reflect on you, so you want to be absolutely confident that they can complete it on time and according to your quality standards. When you’re not familiar with the required task, it may be difficult for you to assess this, which is another factor to consider.

Do you use subcontractors? Why or why not?

Please visit From the Desk of Janet Barclay to read and comment on To Subcontract or Not to Subcontract?.

While I was waiting for my appointment at the hairdresser recently, I noticed not just one, but two very different magazines with “zoomers” on the cover. Never having seen or heard this term before, I was curious, but my name was called before I got a chance to find out what it meant. When I typed it into Google, just from looking at the results page, I realized that I could be a zoomer! This was confirmed when I clicked on www.50plus.com which describes itself as “the leading Canadian Internet portal for Zoomers — the 14.5 million Canadians who are 45+.”

The term was coined by gerontologist Dr. David J. Demko in 1998 to identify people born between 1946 and 1964 (baby boomers) who are “breaking new ground, re-defining aging and re-inventing retirement.”

Moses Znaimer, the founder of Citytv, Much Music, Fashion Television and other channels targeting Canadian youth, is developing new media so he can continue to serve his audience, now that they are no longer youth. As he says,

“They were the dominant generation then… they remain the dominant generation now. Zoomers are a growing, vibrant and affluent community. They look at the world with optimism; they are engaged and aspire to enrich their lives and the lives of their communities.”

There is a good lesson here for all of us who run businesses, large or small. Once you’ve identified your target market, it’s vital that you stay in tune with their interests and activities if you’re going to continue to serve them well.

Please visit From the Desk of Janet Barclay to read and comment on Is Your Client a Zoomer?.

As a virtual assistant, I have clients all over North America. Most of my American clients pay by PayPal, but there are a few who aren’t comfortable using the service for one reason or another, and mail me a cheque. (Or should I say “check” since we are talking about Americans?)

Most of the time it’s not a problem, but there have been a couple of occasions where it literally took weeks for a payment to reach me by mail, particularly from one client who lives about 500 miles from me. Last month, I was pleased that her cheque reached me in a matter of days, and noticed that she had sent it Air Mail. I emailed her to let her know I had received it and thanked her for sending it by Air Mail. This was her reply:

“If I knew that the simple words “Air Mail” were required, I would have done that 2 years ago. Duh! It’s no more $; it’s just 2 words.”

So keep this in mind when you’re sending mail across the border, especially over the next couple of months when the volume of postal mail is likely to be higher than usual. It might not help, but it sure couldn’t hurt!

Please visit From the Desk of Janet Barclay to read and comment on Two Little Words.

Have you heard of Bill Porter? I hadn’t, until I watched the made-for-TV movie, Door to Door.

Despite having cerebral palsy, which affected both his mobility and his communication skills, Bill refused to go on disability and convinced the Watkins Company to hire him as a door-to-door salesman in 1955. They tried to let him go after a few days on the job because his sales weren’t high enough, but he persuaded them to give him a month to prove himself. He far exceeded their expectations, going on to become one of their top salespeople. In fact, he continues to serve his customers at the age of 75 through his online store.

Bill achieved this level of success due to his determination and perseverance to overcome the seemingly insurmountable barriers with which life presented him. But there’s more to it than that – what about those of us who don’t face such obstacles?

The other reason for Bill’s success was his sincere commitment to helping people. He always went out of his way to find a solution to others’ problems, whether or not that solution involved purchasing one of his products. And that is something any of us can do. Here are just a few ways we can go that extra mile:

• Accept others for who they are and don’t be judgemental
• Share information that might benefit or interest our clients and other contacts
• Remember and acknowledge birthdays, anniversaries and other special occasions

For inspiration, I highly recommend that you watch Door to Door, which has won many awards, including the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for William H. Macy’s superb performance as Bill Porter. The DVD is available from Amazon.com and Amazon.ca.

Please visit From the Desk of Janet Barclay to read and comment on The Successful Salesperson.