Smart businesspeople spend lots of time figuring out who their best customers are. By doing analysis and pinpointing "perfect" clients, they can isolate which customers need more care and deference. Establishing who your best customers really are is not as simple as it sounds - it may seem as though the ones who spend the most will always be the best...however, this isn't the case in certain situations. For example, some clients who spend a lot also bring a lot of drama, complaints, and late payment issues. Truly great clients will always pay promptly, treat you and your staff with respect, and seek out repeat business with you

 Problem clients can drain you and tax your resources - the profits you earn from them may be eaten up by the countless hours you spend "dealing" with the relationship. Often, it can be better to try to slip away from a negative customer relationship, rather than continuing to waste time (time is money, after all) caring for the client and trying to please them. Look at your troublesome clients carefully - factor in the labor and effort wasted maintaining the relationship - are they really earning that much for you? Is it all worth it?

 By looking at your customers objectively and classifying them, you can decide how to grow (or gently ease out of) relationships. Always consider the fact that getting new customers is much harder than retaining your current clients. However, problem clients can actually bring your business down. Conversely, amazing customers who really gel with you and your business can be worth their weight in gold. These are the customers who will do free "word of mouth" advertising and referrals for your company...and these are the customers whose loyalty should be rewarded in every possible sense. From personal thank you cards for referrals or testimonials, to birthday and holiday emails or gift certificates...whatever you can do to keep these relationships thriving will have a ripple effect that keeps your business strong.

 If your home improvement business is small, figuring out which clients comprise the bread and butter of your business should be an easy task. If your company is larger, with many clients, you may want to investigate Customer Relationship Management Software - this type of program will "file" your clients according to a variety of important criteria. This software will do the work for you, once you've added your client information. Looking at the stats will help you realize which percentage of your client base really needs your care and attention each day. In fact, many companies have thrived by playing with this software and changing their approach to customer care. They target the percentage of customers who treat them well, spend money, and come back for more good and services. By doing this, they get more business, more referrals, and more return on the time they spend giving attention to clients.

 Learn from the best in the business - figure out which customers are really supporting your company, and reward them frequently.