How you go about building a customer base can vary with the type of business you own; however, it does not have to be difficult or expensive.

Andrew Sekidende, a retail businessman, gives advice that can help you expand your small scale business in no time at all with a little creativity and effort.

• Try to think of people who can influence others in coming to buy products from your business.

• Give out business cards and information at the end of every transaction and ask your customers to pass your business information to others.

• Offer a small referral bonus and a discount or gift to everyone who refers a new customer as this will build a lot of goodwill among your customers and can even be relatively cheaper than conventional advertising with different other media.

• Simply ask your customers how they hear and feel about your business which will make you put in a lot of effort to polish your business’s name appropriately.

• Offer coupons with expiry dates as it will encourage customers to come for products before the coupon expires.
• Consider simple rewards or frequent buyer programmes; for example, have a card with 10 or so stamps on them and indicate that the 10th stamp yield a free product, meal or service.

• If you can, use your computer to create your own website that you will use to advertise your latest specials, products and services and try to update it often with different new products in your business or on market.

• Make sure you are available and willing to help customers whenever there is a problem. Your business should be open to meet the convenience of your customers and not only for your convenience. Always be credible and if you can’t establish that trust right away, customers may start to look at your competitors else where.

• Good appearance to your customer counts a lot as it’s always known to many people that perception is reality, and the reality is that people do judge a book by its cover and remember the best customers are your currents ones.

• Stay in touch with customers either by phoning or emailing them regularly and also continuing to service their wants and needs.

• Make it as easy as possible for your customers to do business with you. The easier you can make it for your customer to do business with you, the more business you will have with them.

• Send an invoice periodically with a "no charge” on it which will help your customers remember your business and if it is unexpected, it will always have a much larger impact.

• Avoid treating your employees poorly because they will also do the same to your customers. If you run a special price or product offer for first-time customers, ensure your current customers are offered the same opportunity.

• Don’t show an attitude of indifference to your customers. In a recent study on why people give up on a company, 68 percent quit because of an attitude of indifference toward the customers by the owner, manager or employees 68 percent!

Be assertive, and increase your customer base calls for treating people the way they want to be treated. It’s also about giving the client what they want, when they want it and how they want it.

It really comes down to the fact that good communication and human relation skills equal good customer base and relations.

Contact: pauluskayiggwa@yahoo.com