Starting a home business has a lot to do with building and maintaining customer relationships. An unexpected perk for me came when my home business became a family affair and the relationships being built weren't only with my customers!

Building Customer Relationships

Whatever kind of home business you have, building customer relationships is going to be the thing that not only makes your business grow and thrive, but it is also the part that makes it the most fun!

The way to build customer relationships is by tapping in to your potential client's needs and providing them with solutions from the very start.

Since my business involves coaching small business owners, the solution frequently involves finding out about their particular talents, interests and strengths. From there, we can explore how to use those attributes to grow their business venture.

Some people love to write and can connect with their customers through their articles. Others do better on the telephone or through teleseminars. Some would rather scrub toilets than get on the phone with a prospect!

I've been working with many business owners who have been mastering the art of attraction marketing. As they began to get the results they wanted -- customers coming to them -- a new problem arose. What to do with the customers who were showing up on their contact lists!

I decided to write a book about building and maintaining customer relationships called Romancing the Sale. And that is where my family came into the picture!

Our families are frequently a big part of what motivates us in starting a home business. Working from home makes us more accessible to our families -- we're able to arrange our day around the kids' schedules so we can attend those all important soccer games or school parties. We want more quality time with our loved ones, and we want to provide them with a lifestyle that will keep them safe, healthy and fulfilled.

When I started working on the book, I realized that one big addition would be my son's artwork. Colin created a cartoon character when he was in middle school named Mr. Cheese. Mr. Cheese is kind of like a grown up Charlie Brown. He means well, but he is incredibly naive and relies heavily on the blunt advice of his faithful dog, Blank.

Mr. Cheese greatly helped illustrate the points made in the book about how to go about building customer relationships. As the reader goes through the material and learns from the book, so does Mr. Cheese!

It was great to work with my son planning out what the illustrations would be and then watching his creativity take over as he produced each drawing.

Next came the help of my daughter, Kendall. I have written about her before and her marketing genius when it comes to connecting with her target market.

As we were giving her dog, Bonny, some nasty tasting medicine, Kendall's marketing brain went to work. She said "Mom, this would make a great video about how ramming your opportunity down your customer's throat isn't the way to make the sale...it just leaves a bad taste in their mouth!" And so the customer relationship lead capture page video was created, starring the family dog.

Kendall had so much fun dreaming up ways to promote the book, she has agreed to act as an official marketing consultant for my company. When she's not busy promoting her own music career, that is!

And then there is my life saver husband, Don. When my computer crashed and I thought I had lost everything, Don patiently worked until he got it all back. When I worked for hours trying to upload Colin's pictures, Don got the job done. When I need an affiliate's links uploaded to a new pdf...Don to the rescue. Let me just say, the man is in for a GREAT holiday present from me -- I owe him big time! :)

What a wonderful experience it has all been! I have enjoyed every second of building my own business, but having my family building it with me is beyond anything I could have wished for.

Best wishes to you and your families and I hope the upcoming year is the best one ever for all of you!