Insider's Secrets to Follow Up and Follow Through

As an entrepreneur, professional speaker, and writer working alone; it's critical to build strong relationships amongst clients as well as colleagues in order to grow your business and help others in the growth of their potential as well. Genuinely keeping in touch with your advocates and those you hope will become your advocates keeps business streaming through your door and keeps you connected with peers and prospects alike.

I've found that having a system for most things makes it easier to accomplish more in less time. When I keep to my schedule and system, then keeping connected to the outside world becomes a good habit. I have always been one to be leery of bugging people and not wanting to seem to shameless in my sales pitch, but rather to be of service and to bring value and needed benefits to my clients and potential clients. I use the theory of giving to get when I make business contacts through email, snail mail, voice mail, or in person. When I send something out of the office it is usually filled with valuable information, a fun new product, a notice of something of benefit to them in the future, or something tasty to eat.

Putting surprises in packages for my clients as a token of appreciation gives me great pleasure. I have found through experience that people love to get treats, especially chocolate. For client appreciation, I often send my customized gourmet chocolate bar that has my trademark tagline printed on the front "You're Funominal! ™" along with a notecard thanking them for their business.

Using an amazing new technology that sends out customized, snail mail cards that have personalized photos, your own handwriting font, your personalized signature in custom colors from www.BizBuilderCards.com has saved me lots of time and has allowed me to keep in touch with many more people on a more consistent basis. I can have a lot of fun with these cards that I create in about a minute for about a buck at my computer. Somebody else prints them, stuffs the envelope - sometimes with a gift card, seals it, stamps it and mails it for me. I can even send a campaign of customized cards to thousands of people for less time than it takes me to physically walk to my mailbox.

I send out customized postcards several times per year with photographs of me doing adventurous activities or another unique photograph I have taken on my world travels. There is usually a blurb on the back of the postcard with information on a new program or other beneficial service. I usually write a note on each postcard.

My clients get a new year's card thanking them for their business. I choose new years since I am usually swamped over the holidays and could never get a holiday card out on time and I don't want my card to get lost in the avalanche of holiday cards that arrive in December.

I have a blog www.GailHahn.com to continually give value, service and information about improving your life and your workplace.

When I launch a new product such as a card deck of 52 Ways to Have Fun at Work, then I send my clients a sample of my new product as a thank you gift for choosing to partner with me in business. When I see an article in a trade magazine that I think would be valuable to a client, I will send them a copy whether it is about my, written by me, or just on a topic that would be of interest that is sent along with a note that I'm thinking about them.

I always send a thank you gift to a client along with a hand-written note after every presentation in appreciation for collaborating on a program for their members or employees. I keep a stock of a variety of items on hand that represent the image I want to project for my business. I have had items customized for me, I've found items in catalogs and malls that had just the right flair and I pick up a bulk order of them, or I have made ceramic plaques with the phrases I use in my programs to give as gifts. I change items every year or two to keep it fresh and I keep track of what I have sent to whom so I don't give a repeat gift.

Another way I've found to keep in touch by adding value is to offer clients or their customers a free tele-class as a premium. Clients can either offer the tele-class to their team members or they can offer it to their customers and use me as their thank-you to their customers. Bridge lines are inexpensive to rent and it gives me a chance to offer more information and services to my customers.

The best way I have found to keep in touch and to keep building on relationships is to add value to people's lives and to save them time, money, effort, or energy, or at least give them information or products that will do the same for them. When I make contact, I make sure it will be welcomed.