Little gems

Don't you love the astute little gems that other people share with you occasionally?

I was with a client today who we have not (as a business) had contact with in a little while. As a result, this particular client and his company haven't done much work with us in recent times.

It wasn't for lack of conviction. He told me how convinced he was of the value of our technology - he had tested it and seen the outcomes with his own eyes.

But he expressed a sense of the business relationship drying up, of us needing to be 'reacquainted'.

He said to me, "It's like when a good friend moves interstate. With the best of intentions, you say you'll keep in touch. When they first move, you make an effort, and probably call them every month. But eventually it gets less and less until you finally only see each other at Christmas."

That nailed it. Such a perfect way of making the point. And it absolutely reinforced to me that no business can afford to lose contact with its clientele.

As my boss says, "The best source of new business is old business." Often for us, it's about renewing acquaintances - and then putting in the hard work to keep them from falling into a state of disrepair again!