You can maintain a customer base by providing them the services they need and expect. You can grow an ever expanding customer base by providing just a little bit more than your clients expect.

Here are eight ways to provide exceptional customer service:

• SAY, "THANK YOU"
  Don't you appreciate the fact that your customers could be going somewhere else? If you appreciate them, then you need to show them that you do. As soon as you provide your service to your customer, you should show them that appreciation. Some people give small gifts, or take clients out to dinner. Generally, a simple "thank you" is all you need, however. They'll get the idea. I use post cards to say thanks. It costs less than a dollar for a postcard and postage. Plus, I get a lot of the cards for free, so it doesn't really cost very much at all. I always write some humorous (to me anyway) comment on the card so people remember my effort. I get lots of compliments on my cards from clients. . . who keep coming back.
• GO A VISITIN'
  One of the best ways to keep your clients thinking of you is to think of them first. If possible, you should visit them in their place of business. If you're making a sales call close by to one of your clients, just pop in and say hello. You don't have to stay long, they're probably busy anyway. Your presence there will be remembered. Ask them how they're doing, listen, shake their hand and then leave. Write down any needs that they might have, regardless of your ability to fill those needs. By knowing the needs and visiting other clients, you just might come up with a solution that would benefit your client.
• SPONSOR A SPECIAL EVENT
  Your business could sponsor a special event or community project. It doesn't have to be related to your business, but it should be fun. It could be a bike ride, a beach or street clean-up, a bake-sale to raise funds for the Boy Scouts, or mentoring at the local elementary school. Invite your clients, it'll show them that you're concerned about them and the community. Contact the nearest Rotary Club, Kiwanis, Exchange Club, Jaycees, or other organizations in your town. There are always service projects that need sponsors. Besides doing a good deed that will make you feel good, you could also receive some publicity. Publicity is good.
• SHOW OFF
  If you are a recognized expert or have recognized experts in your company, let your clients know about that expertise. When you or one of your associates wins an award, has an article published or is booked as a public speaker, you should tell your customers about it. Your clients will appreciate the fact that they chose quality people to do business with. They will also appreciate the fact that they have a valuable resource in you and your company.
• ENCOURAGE FEEDBACK
  Some people are afraid to ask clients about the service they received. They're afraid that the people will say something bad. The reality is that if the
  The Worth of the Individual
  For what are you exchanging your life? If it is not for people then you are paying too high a price. When we give ourselves to invest in other people, then we are investing for eternity, but if we give our lives for an organization, a job, an institution, a cause, or a program, then we are only focusing on the temporal. I have always loved my job, my church, and many fine organizations with which I have served. But, when I put the success of the cause or activity above people, then I am misguided.We must work so that we can eat, but we must not give ourselves only for that job, that paycheck, or that bonus. If we give our lives sacrificially for a co-worker, a person working with a customer, or another who works with a vendor, then we are exchanging our life for people. Always put people first, and
  appreciate them, then you need to show them that you do. As soon as you provide your service to your customer, you should show them that appreciation. Some people give small gifts, or take clients out to dinner. Generally, a simple "thank you" is all you need, however. They'll get the idea. I use post cards to say thanks. It costs less than a dollar for a postcard and postage. Plus, I get a lot of the cards for free, so it doesn't really cost very much at all. I always write some humorous (to me anyway) comment on the card so people remember my effort. I get lots of compliments on my cards from clients. . . who keep coming back.
• GO A VISITIN'
  One of the best ways to keep your clients thinking of you is to think of them first. If possible, you should visit them in their place of business. If you're making a sales call close by to one of your clients, just pop in and say hello. You don't have to stay long, they're probably busy anyway. Your presence there will be remembered. Ask them how they're doing, listen, shake their hand and then leave. Write down any needs that they might have, regardless of your ability to fill those needs. By knowing the needs and visiting other clients, you just might come up with a solution that would benefit your client.
• SPONSOR A SPECIAL EVENT
  Your business could sponsor a special event or community project. It doesn't have to be related to your business, but it should be fun. It could be a bike ride, a beach or street clean-up, a bake-sale to raise funds for the Boy Scouts, or mentoring at the local elementary school. Invite your clients, it'll show them that you're concerned about them and the community. Contact the nearest Rotary Club, Kiwanis, Exchange Club, Jaycees, or other organizations in your town. There are always service projects that need sponsors. Besides doing a good deed that will make you feel good, you could also receive some publicity. Publicity is good.
• SHOW OFF
  If you are a recognized expert or have recognized experts in your company, let your clients know about that expertise. When you or one of your associates wins an award, has an article published or is booked as a public speaker, you should tell your customers about it. Your clients will appreciate the fact that they chose quality people to do business with. They will also appreciate the fact that they have a valuable resource in you and your company.
• ENCOURAGE FEEDBACK
  Some people are afraid to ask clients about the service they received. They're afraid that the people will say something bad. The reality is that if the
  Free Advertising vs Paid Advertising Campaigns (part 2)
  Maximizing Your Online Advertising DollarsWe've already established that you will get further, faster, by utilizing paid advertising resources over free advertising. You must target active buyers in order to sell. Now, let's get into how this can be accomplished. THREE WORDS - SEARCH ENGINE INJECTION People go to search engines to find what they are looking for, so that is the place you want to be. PAY-PER-CLICK: Basically, with this type of advertising, you need to open an advertiser's account with a PPC search engine. Select the keywords that your target market are using, and bid on them. The higher you bid per keyword, the higher is the search results you will appear for those keywords. You only pay the search engi
  N'
  One of the best ways to keep your clients thinking of you is to think of them first. If possible, you should visit them in their place of business. If you're making a sales call close by to one of your clients, just pop in and say hello. You don't have to stay long, they're probably busy anyway. Your presence there will be remembered. Ask them how they're doing, listen, shake their hand and then leave. Write down any needs that they might have, regardless of your ability to fill those needs. By knowing the needs and visiting other clients, you just might come up with a solution that would benefit your client.
• SPONSOR A SPECIAL EVENT
  Your business could sponsor a special event or community project. It doesn't have to be related to your business, but it should be fun. It could be a bike ride, a beach or street clean-up, a bake-sale to raise funds for the Boy Scouts, or mentoring at the local elementary school. Invite your clients, it'll show them that you're concerned about them and the community. Contact the nearest Rotary Club, Kiwanis, Exchange Club, Jaycees, or other organizations in your town. There are always service projects that need sponsors. Besides doing a good deed that will make you feel good, you could also receive some publicity. Publicity is good.
• SHOW OFF
  If you are a recognized expert or have recognized experts in your company, let your clients know about that expertise. When you or one of your associates wins an award, has an article published or is booked as a public speaker, you should tell your customers about it. Your clients will appreciate the fact that they chose quality people to do business with. They will also appreciate the fact that they have a valuable resource in you and your company.
• ENCOURAGE FEEDBACK
  Some people are afraid to ask clients about the service they received. They're afraid that the people will say something bad. The reality is that if the
  Tie Up Loose Ends or Find Yourself in Knots
  The final step toward putting your past behind so you can reach for what's possible is tying up your loose ends. Loose ends are the unresolved relationships that keep you from sleeping worry free at night.Skeletons are hard to keep buried because they always have a bone to pick.You have a loose end, if there's someone you don't want to see at the grocery store or movie theater. You have a loose end, if there's someone you don't want to run into on a first date or at work. You have a loose end, if there's someone you don't want to sit next to at a holiday dinner. Loose ends are distracting and have an amazing way of biting you in the butt at the worst times.When loose ends are lurking in the back of your mind, they take your focus off doing what it takes to succeed. Loose ends bring you
  
  Your business could sponsor a special event or community project. It doesn't have to be related to your business, but it should be fun. It could be a bike ride, a beach or street clean-up, a bake-sale to raise funds for the Boy Scouts, or mentoring at the local elementary school. Invite your clients, it'll show them that you're concerned about them and the community. Contact the nearest Rotary Club, Kiwanis, Exchange Club, Jaycees, or other organizations in your town. There are always service projects that need sponsors. Besides doing a good deed that will make you feel good, you could also receive some publicity. Publicity is good.
• SHOW OFF
  If you are a recognized expert or have recognized experts in your company, let your clients know about that expertise. When you or one of your associates wins an award, has an article published or is booked as a public speaker, you should tell your customers about it. Your clients will appreciate the fact that they chose quality people to do business with. They will also appreciate the fact that they have a valuable resource in you and your company.
• ENCOURAGE FEEDBACK
  Some people are afraid to ask clients about the service they received. They're afraid that the people will say something bad. The reality is that if the
  Is Your Business Safe?
  Well, is it! Do you back up your files on a regular basis? Do you have a back up plan in place? What’s important to your business and what isn’t? What happens if you get hurt, who will run your business? Do you have customers come to your business? What if  they get hurt, are you covered? What about all the equipment you have, is it covered? These are all questions a home based business owner, (in fact, any business owner) should have answers to and plans in place for. You must have a system in place to back up your files. Since most of us use computers today, be sure you back up at least once a week. If you really want to be efficient and make it easy on yourself, get a Maxtor hard drive with the one button back up feature. For less than $200, you can not afford to be without one if you ha
  OW OFF
  If you are a recognized expert or have recognized experts in your company, let your clients know about that expertise. When you or one of your associates wins an award, has an article published or is booked as a public speaker, you should tell your customers about it. Your clients will appreciate the fact that they chose quality people to do business with. They will also appreciate the fact that they have a valuable resource in you and your company.
• ENCOURAGE FEEDBACK
  Some people are afraid to ask clients about the service they received. They're afraid that the people will say something bad. The reality is that if the client does have something bad to say about your product or service, you had better be the first one to hear about it. If you're not the first, you might be the last and that means that many other people heard about it along the way. That is not a good way to build a business.

  Provide your clients with different ways to feedback information to you. Communication is a two-way street. Ask your clients personally, ask for comments in your newsletter, and ask for input on your Web site. When you receive comments that reflect badly on your service, get to the bottom of the problem quickly and report back to your client. Then ask them again about your service. Make sure they're satisfied with you and your company. Also, when you're asking for feedback on your service, and you get positive results, that's a great time to ask for referrals.

• LOOK FOR OTHER SERVICES TO PROVIDE
  You should always be thinking about other services you can provide your customers, but you can cut out the middleman by going directly to your clients. When you ask for feedback about your current service, you should always ask about other products or services they might need that are related to your company's business. Ask about their needs and then brain storm ways that you can fill those needs. You'll end up giving customer service that could end up making your company more money.
• ADD 'EM TO YOUR LIST
  You should keep and maintain a database of your customers. With a database you can mail newsletters, information on special events, send out holiday cards, and just plain keep in touch. A database, like the customers themselves, is invaluable.
• MAKE IT PERSONAL
  Nothing succeeds like a personal connection. There's a Safeway store in Centralia, Washington that is just outstanding. I stopped in there one morning and every employee from stockers and boxers to cash register clerks that I saw, smiled and said hello. I felt welcome. Whether personal contact comes from a face to face greeting to a phone call. Nothing beats personal contact for warmth and welcome. There is one thing you can add to that personal contact and really make it work extra hard is a name.

  Almost everyone likes to be called by name and to be treated like an old friend. After all, you'd go out of your way to make sure that a friend received the best service possible from you company wouldn't you? Treat your customers like friends. Remember friends tell their friends about the service they received both good and bad.

As a business you should always be looking for new customers, perhaps the