The best type of customer is a repeat customer.

This article is from Entrepreneur

by Mike Kappel
Serial Entrepreneur, Patriot Software Company CEO

As a serial entrepreneur, I know firsthand how important it is to connect with customers. Building relationships is key to learning your customers’ needs. And, you may gain more returning customers, referrals and net income in the process.

As a small business owner, you have an advantage when it comes to building customer rapport. The size of your company allows you to reach people at a more personal level than big businesses, which turns into stronger relationships with customers.

To create customer relationships, and keep them strong, you must do all you can to engage customers. Here are five ways to build customer relationships and keep them coming back.

1. Communicate

As a key to any good relationship, communication is an essential way to build customer relationships. Promoting your business and listening to your customers is equally important.

Rather than just telling customers about your business, have conversations with them. Find out what your customers need, then show them that you have a solution to their problem.

If you have employees, teach them how to effectively communicate with customers. Instead of waiting for customer service to become a problem, foster communication skills with customers while onboarding new employees. Maintain an employee policy, requiring timely follow-up, to make sure the customer’s needs are met. Make sure your staff returns voicemail messages and emails promptly.

2. Exceed expectations

Your customers expect great products or services from you. You should continue to raise the bar on what your company offers.

To put it simply, under promise, and over deliver. When you impress customers, they keep coming back.

To exceed customer expectations, you can deliver a product or service faster than anticipated. When you deliver earlier than expected, the customer will be happy about the surprise. For example, tell a customer their order will be ready by the end of the month, knowing you will have it ready a week earlier.

3. Ask for feedback

Whether customers have a good or bad opinion about your business, they will make their feelings known. Invite customer feedback to show you are listening. Place comment cards on your business counter, or conduct a survey.

Customer feedback helps you hone your customers’ specific needs so you can find the best solutions to their problems. The better your offering meets their needs, the more your business will grow.

Always listen carefully to comments and respond promptly, whether it’s a compliment or a complaint. The worst thing you can do is ask for feedback then not address concerns. Even negative feedback is valuable and can give you an honest gauge of customer satisfaction.

4. Connect

With technology, there are more ways to begin conversations with your customers than ever before. There are many online tools and social media outlets you can use to reach customers.

When you engage with customers online, be careful not to create a one-way conversation. Ask customers questions, and respond to their inquiries.

Also, make sure your website is top-notch, and start a blog to engage your customers and prospects. Build customer relationships through your online presence.

5. Show appreciation

Reward long-time customers with a loyalty discount program. You can hand out reward cards, or use a loyalty program app to track customer rewards.

With a loyalty program, customers earn points for buying your goods or services. After earning a certain number of points, the customer gets a reward. For example, you could reward a customer with a discount on their next purchase.

Also give away inexpensive branded items, such as pens or notepads, or even expensive items, like shirts, hats or jackets with your logo on it. It’s a small yet effective way to say thank you to customers while keeping your business top-of-mind.

Show appreciation by sending your clients a Promo Voucher that they can redeem in your store.

Here are the key reports to know about, including profit and loss statements, revenue by customer and more.

This story originally appeared on Due

When it comes to small business accounting, most people know that it is important to keep your records updated for taxes. However, there are many more benefits from small business accounting that you can use to grow, improve and expand your business. Here are some of the most important accounting reports for your small business that you should know about.

Profit and loss statement/income statement

The most important report for any business is the profit and loss statement, also called a P&L or income statement. This report tells you how much money a business makes, as well as a lot more. A well-run bookkeeping operation includes details for where you spend and where your money comes from. For example, I can look at my P&L for a quick summary of how much I make from writing, how much I make from advertising, how much I spend on business travel and how much I pay for computer and internet costs. Each business would have different accounts for its own income and spending categories.

Small business owners should look at this report at least monthly. It is also a good idea to look at trends, comparing current results to the same period in the prior year and comparing the most recent month with the last few months. This should tell you what’s working well and what isn’t, as well as help you focus on the most profitable parts of the business. This is exactly how I analyzed by business to help me reach $10,000+ in monthly income.

Balance sheet

A balance sheet gives you a snapshot of what a business has and owes at any given time. For small businesses, assets typically include things like bank accounts, accounts receivables, and possibly an investment account. A balance sheet may also include assets like property, computers, equipment and other saleable physical and intangible property. Liabilities generally include things like credit cards, business loans and anything else your business owes.

The accounting equation is based on the balance sheet. It tells us that assets plus liabilities equals equity. The difference in what you have and what you owe should ideally be a positive number and one that grows over time.

When examining the balance sheet, also look at the short-term assets versus short-term liabilities. If you have payments owed soon, you won’t want to run out of cash without noticing that your assets are illiquid.

Accounts receivable aging

You don’t work for free, and your business isn’t a charity. Doing the work and sending the invoice is just part of the battle. You also have to make sure those payments get paid and collected. Your accounts receivable (A/R) aging report tells you how well you are doing on the collections side. Look out for customers who are perpetually late, usually pay on time and recently started paying late, and growing late balances from any customer.

I’ve been very lucky when it comes to collections, but part of that is choosing the right clients to work with. Upstanding companies like Due always pay quickly. Some less stable, less trustworthy or financially strained companies are more likely to pay late or stiff you when it comes time to pay the bill.

Revenue by customer

Just as you should be looking at who owes you money, you should be looking at who gives you the most of it. Your revenue by customer report tells you how much you made from each customer over a period of time. Freelancers and professional service businesses rely heavily on repeat business in many industries. Building good relationships with quality clients can turn in to a lucrative, reliable, and healthy income stream.

However, beware of putting too much faith in any one income source. If too much revenue comes from one source, that is called “revenue concentration risk.” If one client leaving would ruin your entire business, you need to get more diverse in who your business serves. Putting too many eggs in one basket might just bankrupt your company.

See steps on how to get your revenue by customer report in Smart iT

Accounts payable aging

You probably wouldn’t like it if a company took too long to pay you. Do your vendors a favor and pay them on time as well. Your A/P aging report tells you who you owe and how much. As long as your books are updated, you can easily look and find who you need to pay so you don’t miss the due dates.

Paying late can sour relationships and may lead to late fees and other costs. Just pay on time. You might even get an early payment discount from some vendors. That’s a big win-win!

(By Eric Rosenberg)