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When your clients love you, everything is easier. Selling happens more naturally, complaints aren’t so harsh, and you get more leeway when it comes to unexpected problems. But getting on your customers’ good side isn’t as easy as it sounds. It takes a lot of hard work and discipline.

How to Get on Their Good Side

Nobody knows your customers better than you do. Think about what makes them tick and develop a game plan for how you can make them fall in love with you. Here are a few tips and pointers to get things moving:

1. Take Care of Easy Fixes Immediately

You want to get as many small “wins” with your clients as possible. This builds up some relational equity and ensures they feel cared for. The best piece of advice you can follow is to take care of easy fixes as quickly as possible. This is something successful property managers have mastered.

“When a tenant calls to let you know they lost the key to a bedroom door, the stove’s pilot light went out, or the water heater temperature needs to be adjusted and they don’t know how to do it, that’s an opportunity to show up as a hero for your tenant,” Green Residential points out. While you may not be in the profession of landlording, you can apply the same principles in your own business.

2. Show Your Appreciation

Your clients want to know that their business is appreciated. If you want to get on their good side, you should make it a point to express your gratitude on a regular and spontaneous basis. In addition to sending a holiday greeting card, consider doing small things throughout the year. This may look like a simple handwritten note at the end of the month, discounting a product, or taking a client out to lunch.

3. Remember Personal Details

Good bedside manner is something that sets excellent doctors apart from average doctors. If you’ve ever had a doctor with good bedside manner, you’ve probably been amazed by their attention to detail. They don’t just walk in and start discussing your health issues. They have a conversation with you and remember your spouse’s name, what you do for a living, where you went on your last vacation, etc.

When you talk with clients, jot down notes about your conversation. Then, before your next call or meeting, review these notes and be sure to bring up a few personal details in your conversation. This reflects well on you and makes the client feel special.

4. Anticipate Their Needs

The mark of a healthy relationship is the ability to anticipate the needs and wants of the other person before they’re verbally expressed. If you want your clients to love you, find a way to anticipate their needs ahead of time.

5. Give Out Your Number

Different people have mixed opinions on this tip, but there’s definitely value in giving your personal cell phone number and contact information to your closest clients. This makes them feel special and shows they’re important to you. There will always be a couple of customers who abuse this privilege, but most will respect your privacy and only call you in a pinch.

Always Have the Best of Intentions

Schmoozing isn’t a sound business practice. The goal isn’t to tell customers exactly what they want to hear. You always need to be truthful and have the best of intentions. Having said that, there are ways to make your clients fall in love with you, regardless of the circumstances. Try some of the tips and techniques highlighted in this article and see if they help you strengthen your client relationships.