Four Ways to Make Nickel- and- Dime Clients Feel Like a Million Bucks

1. Build a Web site and move your ordering process to the Internet. Encourage your customers to use online ordering and email to communicate with you by giving them an incentive to do so -- cheaper prices or faster delivery. That way, you can prioritize the attention you give the bigger orders, without smaller clients knowing it. (Of course, moving online isn't that simple. It could cost you an arm and a leg -- and maybe a hand and a foot -- to make the leap to cyberspace.)
   
   
2. Don't be too swift to judge the value of a client by how often they buy from you. That's one factor, surely, but there's a lot more to the picture. Sometimes, the one paying the bigger bill is a real jerk, and the once-a-year customer is a delight.
   
   
3. Be careful not to get too dependent on any one or two big clients. The smaller customers are your insurance against devastation if you lose your monster account.
   
   
4. The next time one of those barely profitable customers is on the phone and you want to say, "Hey lady, I have better things to do with my time than talk with you," imagine that she's on her way to a chamber of commerce meeting or a Tupperware party. Think about how quickly your words might get passed around. The thought will help you keep your smart remarks to yourself.