In a world that is fixated on progress, people often forget that, in order to grow, you need to focus on what you already have. It’s the same with businesses and the pursuit of new customers; if you don’t build your existing relationships with your current customers, how can you expect to keep them or any potential ones around? Client retention is an important determiner of success and needs to be given its proper place in a business’s priorities. Here are 4 simple ways to remind your clients that your commitment to them remains on the front burner:

1. Stay Connected: Make sure that you stay engaged with your customers. To Alexandra Barca, learning more about your clients is the best way to find out what exactly they want from your relationship as well as to keep them informed of progress.

2. Maintain and Transcend Expectations: Jayson Demers says that every business/​customer relationship begins with expectations and how you fulfill these expectations will be crucial in determining how smoothly that relationship will go. So, before you make a promise, be sure you can meet, or even exceed, the expectations you set, especially at the beginning of the relationship. There’s never a second chance to make a first impression.

3. Encourage Feedback: According to Micheline Nijmeh, customer feedback is an enormous part of a company’s success: it makes customers more comfortable to know that their concerns are being addressed and it can also alert you to potential problems which should be addressed before they get out of control.

4. Make it Personal: At the end of the day, your relationship with your customer will be the main reason for his or her decision to keep doing business with you or to look elsewhere. Demers recommends that you get to know the people you interact with on a regular basis and initiate personal exchanges. You’ll have a better chance of maintaining your business relationship if you show clients your personal side.

Barca reminds readers that your existing customers are the ones who are keeping your business stable. Those customers provide your business with a steady revenue, so make sure to maintain your stability before reaching for something more.