The key to customer loyalty is to make every customer feel that she is one in a million. And the way to do that is through approaches that are out of the ordinary, communications that make them feel special, things that are just plain fun.

Who said business has to be “businesslike”? You want your key customers to think of you as a good friend who considers them special. Here are five ways to do that.

5 Ways to Keep Your Best Customers. 

1. Begin to over deliver as soon as you close the deal.

After signing a contract say, “You know, I’ve got one other idea I’d like to implement for you without charge.”  Trust me. This will WOW them.

2. Send a personal note to the gatekeeper.

Find a card that reflects the gatekeeper as a person, and tell her so in the note: “I saw this card and just had to send it to you…”

3. Remember them.

Create a monthly calendar activity to strengthen your relationship with them. This could be lunch, a donation to their favorite charity, or tickets to take their kid to a ballgame.

4.  Take pictures of your customers benefiting from your services.

If you help a customer gain a Texaco contract, take a picture of him standing next to a large Texaco sign.  If you’ve helped a client earn enough money to buy a new boat, get a picture of him with that boat. Print and frame these pictures and give them to customers.

5. Get a great shot of your customer having fun with you.

Frame this and give her one copy while keeping another for your office. How great is it to go into your customer’s office and see a picture of the two of you having a blast? (And how disheartening to your competition?)