We don’t need to tell you how vital reputation and client relationships are in building your trades business. But with the day-to-day challenges of running your business, it’s easy to overlook the marketing potential you have at your fingertips. Re-engaging existing clients can increase cash flow and attract new opportunities. So, in this article, we share five tips on how to retain clients and reach more! 

Tips to help you retain clients and reach more:

1: Stay in touch: 

Personalised communication is essential if you want your clients to keep your business top of mind. A straightforward way to do this is to schedule a follow-up call one month after completing a job to check your client’s satisfaction. 

You might also ask them whether you can add their email addresses to your marketing database. Explore purpose-built software, like MailChimp, to help you stay in touch. Even if you don’t have this digital communication channel set up, prepare for the future. Begin today by asking permission to add them and keeping a spreadsheet list of names and email addresses.

Many people set an annual budget aside for house repairs and maintenance. To remind your clients that it’s time to spend their maintenance budget, drop a postcard through their letterbox on the annual anniversary of when you last worked for them.

2: Package things up: 

Create ongoing maintenance packages tailored to your client’s specific needs, such as annual plumbing inspections or other servicing offers. Being proactive about maintenance services can generate recurring revenue, but more importantly, it can offer real value for your clients.

3: Reward Loyalty:

Create a loyalty program to reward repeat customers for their continued business. If you don’t want to offer discounts, consider how to add value. 

You might offer ‘points’ for every pound spent with you, and then clients could choose to use those points to upgrade. If you’re a plumber, you might offer them tap fitting ‘a’ instead of tap fitting ‘b’ at no extra cost. Or you might provide priority appointments in return for some of the loyalty points they’ve built up.

4: Ask clients to refer a friend:

Encourage happy customers to refer their friends, family, or colleagues to your business. Offer them a referral incentive for each new client that engages you via them. It could be a gift card (for a High St store or local pub) or a discount on future services they engage you for. 

This strategy can be adopted by creating a printed postcard with a blank space for the referrer to write their name before handing it to the person they refer who brings it to you.

Double down on the incentive with a reward for the referrer and their friend!

5: Share your knowledge (for free): 

Share educational content through your website or social media channels to help your clients understand the importance of regular maintenance and how it can benefit them in the long run. This can include blog posts, how-to guides, video tutorials on everyday maintenance tasks or energy-saving tips. Above all, make the content you share valuable and shareable. 

We hope this article has given you some valuable tips on how to retain clients and reach more! Now, browse the rest of the articles in our Knowledge Hub for more helpful, jargon-free tips to help you run your business!