As I was about to pay the wood carvings I bought in a souvenir shop in Bangkok, I came across this sign prominently posted on print booklets on top of the table:

"The customer is the most important visitor on our premises. He is not dependent on us. We are dependent on him. He is not an interruption on our work. He is the purpose of it. He is not an outsider on our business. He is a part of it. We are not doing him a favor by serving him. He is doing us a favor by giving us an opportunity to do so." - Mahatma Gandhi

What struck me is how this establishment put value on the customers. The good thing is they walk the talk. How they handled me and the spouse was the exact embodiment of the words of Gandhi. Needless to say, they took care of everything from the selection process to the packaging to the shipping of the items back to my home country. The experience is indeed more than pleasant.

I'm sharing this experience to emphasize the point that customers are indeed number one. In any business, big or small, customers, both old and new, are important to ensure the sustainability of the business. No matter how well your business may be doing, you are most likely on the hunt for new customers. The only way to make your business grow is to continually attract new customers. Otherwise, if you were to lose your customer base, then your business may be in real trouble.

Targeting and attracting customers can be a difficult job since you have to show people why they should do business with you instead of others. Here, you will find some strategies on how to communicate with customers to attract them to your business.

1. Before embarking on any communication plan, make sure to communicate directly with the right people. For example, if your main customers are young adults, then you would not want to spend time advertising in a magazine for mommy magazines. On the other hand, if you are targeting moms, you wouldn't advertise in a Gamer's magazine, would you?

2. Shift from transactional communications to one that is based on a personal relationship. Personal communications transcend formal communications. This ensures that clients are given customized and preferential treatment.

3. Go beyond mass communication to what is referred to as relationship marketing. Mass communications is like any shotgun approach. You fire and pray that it hits somebody. With relationship marketing, a more personal, customized communication strategy is established. For instance, your booklet printing can become more focused and direct.

With all of these strategies, the main point is to communicate at the individual level. Before they are clients, your customers are humans who need to interact in a nurturing environment.