You cannot match all this competition blow for blow, dollar for dollar. The secret is to do things to stay on top of your customers’ consciousness. Being remembered and well-thought of is half the battle!

You’ve probably heard this adage: out of sight, out of mind. If you’re out of the customer’s mind at the moment he needs something you sell or at the moment a competing salesperson contacts him, you’ll lose out on repeat business from that customer.

Another old adage also applies. It is: what you take for granted, you lose. If your customer feels ignored or neglected and thinks your only interest is the dollars you earn from his orders, you’re likely to lose him to someone else.

Your objective, then, is to mount a planned campaign to let the customer know that you care about him, value the relationship and are eager to be of service.

Here are a few ideas for your campaign:

Organize your customers on a mailing list. Send mailings  to those on the list at least six times a year. This contact program might include a Christmas card, mailings about new products and services, news about special offers and thank you notes for orders you have gotten. You can use letters, flyers, and postcards. The important thing is that the customer is periodically reminded that you are ready to be of service, and that you are eager to keep him posted on special opportunities.

In most businesses, you’ll sell more and increase your value to the customer by teaching proper, most effective usage of what you sell. Some salespeople collect new product use ideas and tips from their customers, put them together in tip-sheets and occasionally mail these out to all their customers. This kind of information can even form the basis for a newsletter that can be sent to customers several times a year.

Advertising specialties such as pens, calendars, scratch pads and items useful to your customers, imprinted with your name and identification information, frequently remind your customers to do business with you. Choose items appropriate for your customers and your business. Visual reminders are a good investment.

Develop special opportunities to contact clients. One sales person, for example, keeps a ticker file of his clients and their wedding anniversary dates. He calls each one a week a ahead of time to remind them of their anniversary. Special strategies like this can create tremendous goodwill and loyalty.

The salesperson who survives on the basis of one sale at a time is constantly in search of the next new customer. He cheats himself with his shortsightedness. Because of his lack of planning, he is constantly under pressure and stress.

Choose, instead, to build a reliable customer base that will provide you with repeat business and referrals. Like other professionals, your success depends on the relationships you establish and the reputation you build for yourself. If you do your job properly, you can build a business that will be rewarding, one that will provide a secure financial future for you and your family.