Be Proactive, Get Strategic With Your Customer
Don Rigby, Integrated MARCOM, Inc.

In context of doing business while enduring this economic tsunami, the former CEO of General Electric recently delivered advice worth sharing. For the Fortune 500, Jack Welch is dead-on, but for the Fortune 100,000, I'll add one more critical element to his wisdom.

You can invest 4:33 minutes to view this video from CNBC's Squawk Box interview, but I'll paraphrase Welch's 3 points as follows:

1. Over communicate to every employee. Whenever we're asked to perform in uncertain times, employees need reassured of management's plan to win.
2. Take care of your best people. Don't let them get down. Plans made at the beginning of the year have been disrupted and now need adjusted.
3. Shore-up your balance sheet. This is the time to buy or bury your competition. With a healthy balance sheet, you can go on the offensive.

Few people will argue with the leadership Jack Welsh demonstrated while at the helm of GE. Welch is an aggressive, hard-charger and in his words, "Do not sit under your desk and suck your thumb," he's recommending go on the offensive. I agree, but for emerging companies, I'll compliment this advice with a 4th recommendation to reinforce the most important asset of any business:

4. Over communicate with your existing customers.

If employees can get "jumpy" during an economic downturn, how do you think your customers are feeling? If you think they're questioning every purchase decision (past, present and future), you are right on the money.

So what should you do to keep your existing customers from jumping ship and keep loyalty a win/win proposition? HINT: Doing nothing is not an option.

BE PROACTIVE. Don't wait for your best customers to defect. If you assume anything, assume the worst. It's well documented that 64% of customers leave existing suppliers because of a feeling of indifference. Be honest with yourself. Over the last few years of focusing on new business, have you taken your existing clientele for granted? Your first response will be, "Absolutely not," but look at the business relationship from their perspective. Think about your Top 10 customers and climb inside each one of their shoes. How does it feel now?

Let's not complicate the issue any more than it already is. There are only three ways to communicate:

1. In writing--Letters are far more revered than emails. Personally addressed and signed letters trumps the speed and convenience of email every time.
2. By phone--This is a support medium. It's best not to use the pbone as your primary tool, but as an engaging follow-up mechanism.
3. Person to person--The absolute most appreciated form of communication. What you say is important, but the fact that you invested personal one-on-one time to say it makes this the most important and interactive communication of all. Often, this is not practical for all customers, but it's always the most valued.

Use all three to communicate your resolve to serve deeper and grow more strategic in their operations. In doing so, you'll find these communication events are effective triggers toward additional dialog.

If you're waiting for the big reveal on the psychological code for getting into the heads and hearts of your customer, here it is:

• Communicate with sincere appreciation,
• Communicate with empathy--nurture versus sell,
• Communicate often.

Converting prospects into customers and customers into clients-for-life is the battle cry of Integrated MARCOM. For our clients, we execute this business fundamental by implementing a communication workflow system that personalizes and automates the delivery of one-to-one communications--in writing, by phone and face-to-face meetings.

Jack Welch has an in-your-face way with words, but as you read between the lines, he's saying be prudent, proactive and lead by innovating your way through this downturn. You and I can't control the economy, but without increasing operating costs, we can control the volume and value of communications that keeps your employees inspired, your customers loyal, your prospects engaged and your competition sucking their thumbs.

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