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Customer satisfaction is the key to long-term success in any business. Customers know you're in business to make money. It's a fact of life and they accept it. But if a company comes across as interested only in profit, customers will go elsewhere. They need to believe that you also have a vested interest in their happiness.

One way to do this is to personalize your sales approach. Make every customer feel special, like you're only in business to sell to him or her. Study your customers. Learn their businesses, their interests, their needs and their overall lifestyles. Then tailor your sales pitch to fit what you've learned. When you make the pitch, don't talk about the general advantages of your product or service or about your own credentials. Instead, say why a product or service is right for them, or why you are the right person to work with them. If you're selling a car to a forestry consultant and his family, for instance, don't just tell them about the new safety features. Tell them how those features will protect their children in a crash. Don't just talk about its off-road capabilities. Talk about how those capabilities will help the consultant get out to sites in the forest. Make what you sell sound like it was designed specifically for each buyer.

Another important way to make your customers happy is to make sure they feel secure. Encourage them to ask questions so that there are no doubts in their minds. An unsure customer is never a satisfied one. Always give your customers a number where they can reach you at any time during the working day. If it's feasible, give them an after-hours number where they can reach you. If you can't be bothered frequently when you're off work, then consider getting a separate phone for these types of calls. Keep the phone turned off, but periodically check the messages on it and then return the calls. Continually reinforce the notion that they can ask you anything.

Even if they don't have questions, and even if you've already finalized the sale or completed your service, you should stay in touch with your customers. Use any excuse to contact them, thank them and see if there's anything else they need. A common way to stay in contact without seeming overly needy or strange is to clip out and send your customers articles that you think will be of interest to them. Attach a note saying something along the lines of this: "Thought this might be of use to you. Are you still satisfied with your purchase? Give me a call if there's anything else I can do for you. Thanks again for your business!" Build a personal relationship with your customers and you'll have them for life.