While no one can argue with the incredible efficiency of Customer Relationship Management (CRM), sending automated voice messages, direct mail collateral, and doing email marketing often fails to bring you closer to clients, doesn't it?

There are dozens of articles in hundreds of publications that tell us about the virtues of client satisfaction, the client purchase cycle, consideration and, my favorite, the "client ecosystem." Maybe there's something we're all missing here -- when was the last time you purchased anything from a person or an organization that called you an "ecosystem?"

This type of message delivery, one, dehumanizes the client; two, fails to begin a conversation; and, three, doesn't build relationships. In fact, I'm betting that for most of us, this approach is a deal-killer. And it doesn't matter if it happens anywhere along the span that ranges from need, to thought-of-purchase, to the actual acquisition of services.

Clients may not know for certain that you're seeing them as dollar signs during a meeting, but they can feel it. And if the clients we already have are our most valuable asset, shouldn't we be taking action that enhances and revitalizes the relationship, instead of kills it?

It may seem like common sense, but here are five ways to show clients that you value them:

Members-Only Premium Content   

• Free Webinars: Access all recorded webinars (full members attend all live webinars free).
• Free Tools and Guides: Receive all how-to guides and tools sold in the RainToday Store free.
• Research and Reports: Receive 20% off all research and benchmark reports.
• 1,000+ Articles: Access over 1,000 professional services marketing, sales, and leadership articles.
• Exclusive Premium Content: Access members-only interviews, templates, and case studies.