{"id":8557,"date":"2015-09-23T11:47:19","date_gmt":"2015-09-23T16:47:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rocksdigital.com\/?p=8557"},"modified":"2025-06-17T13:39:37","modified_gmt":"2025-06-17T18:39:37","slug":"relationship-management-process","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rocksdigital.com\/relationship-management-process\/","title":{"rendered":"Keep Your Customers: Create A Relationship Management Process"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Image Credit \u2013 Antlii\/Shutterstock.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What happens after the prospect says \u2018yes\u2019<\/a>? Are you prepared today for what comes next? As business owners, we all want to build profitable, scalable and sustainable businesses, but is this how we operate with customers in real-time?<\/p>\n

Is your business set-up to manage the customer relationship from first order through the various life-cycle phases of a profitable long-term business relationship?<\/em><\/p>\n

Most solopreneurs and small business owners have, at a minimum, a general understanding of the steps in the sales process<\/a> they must complete, from prospecting to customer acceptance, in order to get to \u2018yes\u2019 and complete the sale (i.e. 7 Touch Marketing). However, it is what comes after the prospect says yes that is most important in helping distinguish your business from its competitors.<\/p>\n

Keep this in mind \u2026 the initial order obtained from a new customer is little more than a \u201crite of passage\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n

Transactional selling is fast becoming a thing of the past. Prospective clients expect more from the companies they choose to do business with in today\u2019s highly competitive markets and, as suppliers, we want to keep them coming back for more!<\/p>\n

To effectively build long-term business relationships<\/a> you must demonstrate a willingness to deliver value-based solutions and stay the course far beyond the initial sale. Building great relationships in this manner will help lead to future add-on sales, referrals, cost savings and profits.<\/p>\n

What is Customer Relationship Management?<\/h2>\n

Now, in order to develop long-term relationships with clients (as well as suppliers and partners) some form of Customer Relationship Management process is required. Customer relationship management is an approach to managing the interactions that take place with current and future customers. It can often involve the use of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software<\/a> to help organize, automate and synchronize sales, marketing, customer service and support. However, it\u2019s less about technology and more about staying actively engaged with the client throughout the life-cycle of the relationship.<\/p>\n

How To Develop A Customer Relationship Management Process<\/h3>\n

So, how do you develop a customer relationship management process that will distinguish your business from the competition, if one does not already exist?\u00a0Here are some basics you\u2019ll want to consider to get started:<\/p>\n