• Do you know what your customer needs in order to be considered a success?
   
• Who does the customer have to please?
   
• How is he evaluated/measured, and by whom?
   
• What are some of the tools your customer needs to be successful?
   
• What are your customer's top three goals?
   
• Do you have a strategy to help him reach his goals?

If you can't provide these answers as you read this, you're too focused on your success, rather than your customer's. When you link arms with the customer to ensure his success, you ensure your own.

Call Your Customer Every Day

Call your customer every morning at the same time. Call to say hello. Call to check in. Ask how things are going. Ask if there's anything you can help him with today.

Ask him what's new on his site. Share news from your site. Talk together. It's even okay to laugh together! Remember this is your partner.

I made my daily morning phone calls to my customer on the West Coast, as well as to my customer who worked around the corner.

I found that the daily phone calls provided the perfect mechanism to head off any potential problems. When you speak to your customer every day, there are no unpleasant surprises awaiting you at the end of the work week.

Once you've done your homework, and have found out what your customer needs in order to be successful, be on the lookout for articles of interest.

Read the business section of the newspaper every day, keeping your customer in mind. Learn everything you can about your customers' business.

Team with other vendors to do presentations for him. For example, in the technology industry, Year 2000 information is hot, hot, hot! There's lots of information on the web regarding Year 2000. Dazzle your customer with your knowledge of his industry.

Do Only Quality Stuff

Everything that you present to your customer needs to be first class. Your customer's first impression of your work starts with your business card and the message on your answering machine.

Do these items represent the true quality of your work? I remember walking away from a strategic alliance because my future partner proudly presented me with a document that had typos all over the front page!

Your customer should never have to correct your work. As a partner to your customer you need to ensure that your work is always on time, and within budget.

And make sure that it's perfect. Your customer will learn very quickly that his "partner" has the same high standards that he does.

Give Something Away

I've given software to my customers, as well as performed small services that were not written into the contract.

Small gestures can grow into significant add-on business! It's not unusual to have contracts extended for an additional five years (at higher rates!) when you demonstrate your generosity.

I promise that you will always receive far more than you give away. It's just plain good old business practice.

You can keep your customer forever by focusing on his success, calling him every day, sharing your knowledge, doing quality work, and giving something away.

Become your customer's partner by helping him to grow his business, and in turn, he'll help you to grow yours.

It always works. Enjoy!

Copyright? Phyllis Sheerin Ross has more than 20 years experience in project management, training, and business development for federal government and commercial organizations. Since accepting early retirement in May 1996, she has become a consultant on retirement issues and a small business coach. She is a contributing editor to several sites on the web, including "The Idea Site For Business." Phyllis can be reached by e-mail at bronx1 @ erols.com