My husband is a history geek, so when I turn on my cable box the history channel is the first thing I see. Recently something caught my interest, a program about casinos. The show was illustrating how much detail casino's store on their customers through the "players card". This made me think how much do I know about my customers? I keep track of the date I met someone, where I met my clients, or who they were referred by, and birthdays when I can I get them. I wonder is that really enough?

I consider myself a power networker and I do collect more data than I listed above, but I am wondering does it really strengthen my relationship with my customer? Understanding and learning about your customers is not just about the superficial information. It’s about anticipating what they need, how they want to work, and looking for the pain they experience in their business. Knowing if they have grown or downsized and why. Are you looking for this information? Have you asked for it? When was the last time you called each person in your database to see how they are doing? Where their business is and how you can support their decisions? Now we're thinking like a casino.

Collecting information is not enough, you have to use it. In my ACT database I can tell you which of my customers refers the most business to me. We review each client’s information before we pick up the phone and call them. We always ask about family, hobbies and how their business is doing. We schedule follow ups 3-4 times a year with clients to see if our involvement had a long term impact on their organization. We call just to network and see how we can help bring our clients business.

Running your business like a casino is a great goal, but remember it is a process. You need to train yourself and your staff to make the effort to dig deeper. You need to make the time to show your clients you care. Offer your clients rewards for choosing your company over and over again. Here are some ideas; discount pricing, gift certificates for books, or send over a basket of goodies just because. People are at the heart of every business and we all want to feel special. In a world full of impersonal voice mail systems and emails making someone feel special will be appreciated and talked about for years. After all isn’t that the best marketing tactic of all?