Judy Santos still takes time for one-on-one time with her son. PHOTO COURTESY JUDY SANTOS
Our families and our business consume every waking moment of the day – and sometimes most of our nights. We are in the moment-by-moment flow of parenting and taking care of a healthy family, as well as growing and creating a healthy business that will provide for our family today and tomorrow.
When you have a family with more than one child, just as when you have a business with multiple customers, finding one-on-one time is difficult. You might even think it’s impossible, yet we all strive to create strong, lasting relationships with our children and with our customers.
An important way to accomplish this is by making one-on-one connections.
There is a four-year age difference between my son and daughter. My son and I spent a lot of one-on-one time together before my daughter was born. And even when she arrived, I wanted to make sure that he did not get slighted, that he was still receiving the one-on-one time with Mom that he was accustomed to. Though I no longer spent every waking moment with him, as I was tending to the needs of my newborn, I planned outings for just the two of us. Sometimes we went to the grocery store together, and sometimes to the zoo. The important thing was that he got to have just me for a few hours. And I got to have just him.
Customers are a lot like our children. They want to feel special when they walk into your office or into your store. Connecting with them one-on-one can be one of the strongest foundations you can build for your business.
What are ways to connect with them one-on-one and continuing to build a strong, lasting relationship?
Judy Santos, left, maintains one-on-one connections with her customers. PHOTO COURTESY JUDY SANTOS
Give them a phone call. Check in with your top customers and let them know what their patronage means to you. It doesn’t have to be a long call. You’ll probably just get their voice mail, but that’s OK. Think of what a treat to receive a message that is concerned with their well-being!
Write your them a note. We are all bombarded with emails, unemotional text messages, tweets and Facebook posts. Technology helps us connect, but it doesn’t have the human touch we require. These days, receiving a sincere, hand written note in the mail is like receiving a surprise gift. Two simple lines is all you need. “Glad to know you” and “Hope you’re well” are enough to make your customers swoon!
Invite them for coffee. Ask them to stop by your place of business on a day when you’re not trying to sell them anything. This is just a time to connect and to stay in touch.
Create a schedule where you connect in some way with your top customers. Pick a day during the week where you reach out to one. Just like you connect with your family at breakfast, at the dinner table, on the soccer field, or in the car on the way to the grocery store, one-on-one connecting is what we all want more of every day. As a business owner, this outreach will create tremendous positive results and strong, lasting relationships.
Judy Santos is the Founder of the valley’s first coworking space, OfficeSlice, and the Founder and creator of the Business Builder Program. She loves spending quality time with her two kids, two dogs and two cats. The best part about running a coworking space is that she gets to connect with her customers every day.
