There was a huge hawk sitting at the end of my driveway in Loomis with a chicken at its feet. Of course, I didn’t have my camera in the car so you can barely see the bird in flight in this picture. I didn’t see it happen but I can only imagine the chicken was unsuspecting as the raptor swooped down from the sky. Are you being hunted by the competition?

In this economy, it is more important than ever to guard your customers by providing excellent service, anticipating needs and regularly checking in to identify potential problems. When you aren’t looking, other vendors are promising better service at a lower cost.

What can you do to protect yourself from competitive hawks? Take marketing action:

• Ask your clients what one thing you could do to improve the service you provide.
• Proactively provide new ideas and bring trends that may impact their businesses to their attention.
• Promote your clients to your associates to help their businesses grow.
• Express your appreciation for the trust your customers place in you.
• Invite clients to educational forums as your guest to expand their knowledge.
• Bring customers to professional association meetings or other networking groups.
• Get to know your clients and provide referrals and information related to their personal interests.

Don’t let competitive hawks ruffle your feathers by attempting to steal your chickens. With solid relationships that respond to your clients’ needs, they’ll be safe to lay eggs for years to come.