As in all relationships, it is essential to show interest in the other party, as well as communication. The same applies to business relationships. All you need is one or two loyal customers and you’re good to go. Here are 10 tips that will help build long-lasting and successful relationships with your customers.

1. Think of customers as individuals even though they may be a business. Although a client represents a company, each client is still an individual. They cannot be treated in a general way. Different strokes for different people, they say. Some may have different needs and priorities than their counterparts and will require a bit more pressure than others to get the job done.

2. Every time you meet with clients, be sure to discuss their needs. The more you order, the more your needs are covered. Meetings are almost always the thing for clients. It’s a meeting because they want to know how you could help them improve their business. Unless you can show ways you can do it, it’s a waste of time.

3. Make a list of your clients and contact them frequently. Creating a database of your customers, however simple, will make contacting them regularly more efficient. Never come from the cold. It’s easier to ask a client or friend something if you’ve kept in touch over the years rather than coming out of the blue asking for a new project/task. Frequent updates/queries will remind them about you and your services.

4. Help customers succeed and so will you. Your success is your success. If you’ve proven instrumental in the success of a certain project, you’ll likely be hired again in the future.

5. Always ask your customers how the business is progressing. Staying up-to-date on how their business is progressing allows you to determine how to position yourself and how to be indispensable to the customer, as if they couldn’t do their job without you. Otherwise, you will be the first thing they think about when it comes to cutting costs.

6. Study trade magazines for each of your clients’ industries. Not many people read it, but it is a rich source of information. Familiarizing yourself with your craft allows you to get up to speed on discussions and terminologies. That way, he shows that he knows what’s going on in his client’s industry from a macro and micro perspective.

7. Remember that the customer is the soul of the organization. A company is only as good as the people who work for it. Gone are the days when clients could hide behind the institution. Now, companies must have a human face. Help your client to acquire a better affinity of your clients/consumers.

8. Get feedback from your customers and find out what your customers think of your service. Don’t wait for feedback; ask for feedback right away. Don’t allow a vacuum in communications between you and your customer.

9. Make your business known to your customer’s business, in every way possible. In some, if not most, cases, some companies/clients expect you to have done your homework. Always be one step ahead of the customer. Show them that you’ve put in the effort to know their industry. That way, your customers will know that you are interested in their business and how it is doing. What good is all their hard work if they’re the only ones who know?

10. Strive for consistency. The indispensable person is the one who can be trusted rather than the one who occasionally comes up with a great idea. It means presenting reports, budgets, etc. on time. It means doing boring, dirty work. Consistency is key. The more confident your customers are of your consistent, quality delivery, the more confident they will be to hire you again and perhaps even recommend you and your services to other businesses.