However, as  has  always  been  the case the  first rule of entrepreneurial success  is  “Diplomacy”.

Diplomacy simply has to do with discreet negotiations, more like a win over. A diplomat usually handles  every situation with  care, always taking into consideration the effects of a  mistake  on his  chosen course or objective  and because  of this he tries to handle every situation with thoughtfulness and sensitiveness. His  tactfulness is  always  seen to  the  fore.

Now let’s consider a few straight  applicable guidelines  for attracting loyal and resourceful clients to your small business

1. Honesty

Honesty has  always  been listed as the best policy of all times, inarguably this is a fact. An African  businessman  might want to argue that one cannot be  truly successful in business while being honest,asserting that cheating is  necessary at times or even always as the case may be.

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Agreeably this could be true to some  extent but then for some who intend  to be truly successful  in life,  there’s always been that one  factor  to look out for which distinguishes  you from the masses. If  you could let honesty or  truthfulness  be that factor  for you,success,as  a matter of fact,is much closer to you than you actually thought  it  was. And the  truth is, honesty  in business brings  you true  wealth and  lasting  happiness.

2. Be a realist

Realistic expectations  from clients  help you deal with and attend  to them better, thereby keeping  misunderstandings  at the minimum and paving  way for  more positive  referrals.

Understanding  that a  client has  the  right to  be displeased  with the quality of a certain product  he  purchased  from you  which he  believed  was  going  to meet his  needs  but later  turned  out to be  different would help you give  the best apologies  you can offer and seek for possible ways to make amends  thereby maintaining the relationship strain and  loyalty.

3.  Award bonuses 

Nothing  keeps  your clients closer to you than bonuses,  be it bonus  services, bonus  products  or even discounted purchases. Every little penny is valued here. You could choose  to place as  little is 5% discount  for sales  on Christmas, New Year or any other notable days  of the  year.

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If this becomes a norm, customers and clients would be compelled  to save up for this day and you’d be surprised at how much referral patronages you might be having on the said dates.

4.  Keep prices hike to the minimum

Sometimes  there are price fluctuations in the  open market and every dealer seems  to be  affected by this. It could be a net result of the currency exchange rates, it could be an increase in import duties, it could be a result of recent executive implementations, and it could also be a  result of a ban on the importation of certain relevant products or their general unavailability.

Whatever the case may be,the truth is some dealers take advantage and stretch the prices of certain products exclusively. This is a bad idea as it keeps customers away. Keeping your price hikes to the very possible minimum is a good way of retaining customers.

Written by Kingsley Umeh.

Kingsley Umeh is a business avid, online entrepreneur that loves sharing new business ideas for new and existing entrepreneurs on how to start, run and manage their business with less risk. He blogs at http://www.gistdeck.com and follow him on Instagram via @Kingsleyumeh1