Episode 185 - How to Handle and Keep Your Customers

Custom Apparel Startups

Working with many customers can be very challenging, especially when it's repeat customers.

Some customers are very needy, others are poor at communication, others don’t pay on time.

So how do you handle all these different types of customers when you are trying to run your business YOUR way? You want to keep your best customers happy, so they come back!

Get a CRM
This is key. You need a way to organize all your information, contacts, notes, reminders, invoices.

Set Reminders
Be sure to have reminders for ANYTHING important. Remind customer to get you the art, Remind that a bill is due. Remind to follow up on approval for production.
If you can set up automated reminders to email / text them… even better.

Use your calendar
Every meeting needs a calendar meeting (invite the customer too)
Use Calendly to avoid those "are you available at XYZ time/day" emails
Block out time for work. Invoicing, production, etc.

Have policies and procedures
You cannot force your customers to do everything your way, but you sure can suggest it. Many people will comply to your procedures. And YOU can decide which rules are ok to bend and not.

Fire customers
Yes, it's HARD to say no to money but there is a price for your time, effort and stress. If one customer is preventing you from growing or enjoying your business, it's time to let them go.

Be Friendly
You catch more flies with honey. People will like you. People will adhere to your reminders, people will respect your calendar invites, people will follow your procedures and you will have enough customers to be able to fire the bad ones.