The most simple and cost-effective way to grow your business is so often overlooked; happy customers become your strongest advocates. They talk to their friends, family, and associates and refer business to you.

Here are 10 ways to delight your customers:

Meet with your customers more often and take a genuine interest in how they’re doing.

Run customer events. Put on a few drinks, get in a relevant speaker, and invite your customers along.

Acknowledge your customers when they refer new customers to you. Send them a gift to show your appreciation.

Give them a call to check in on how they’re going.

Do business with your customers and encourage your team to do the same.

Refer work to your customers. The ‘Law of Reciprocity’ states that the more you do for others, the more likely they are to do something for you in return.

Go the extra mile; under promise and over deliver.

Make them feel special when they come into your business. Use their name, greet them warmly, and offer them a drink.

Introduce them to your team so they feel more welcome and know who to speak to if you’re not around.

Randomly send them something to show your appreciation for their business. Don’t just do this at Christmas. It doesn’t need to be something big - it could be as simple as forwarding something you’ve read that could be of interest to them.

Remember that, on average, it costs at least six times more to sell to a new customer than it does to sell to an existing one.

So, what are you doing to delight your customers so they become your strongest advocates?

“You can get anything you want in life so long as you help enough other people get what they want.” - Zig Ziglar