"Maybe someone ate it," and she kept walking. My request for oatmeal remuneration was met with her closing the door to the laundry room and going about her business. (If you think *I* have a big personality, all I have to say is, it has to come from somewhere!)

My friend/client overheard this quick exchange and simply said, "You can't go home again."

Of course, he wasn't implying that I couldn't come to the compound whenever I wanted, he was merely underscoring the point that once you leave the nest, all the comforts of being in the nest fade away; and yes, Virginia, that goes for Apple Cinnamon oatmeal, too.

Which started me thinking about business. (What DOESN'T make me think about business?)

How easy do you make it for your clients to "come home again"?

• Do your clients have direct contact information for you or their account/project manager or do they have to start with a call to the main number every time?
• Do you save their pertinent information on file - archiving counts - so you start new conversations with them from an informed place rather than making them recount their story?
• Do you make a note in your contact management software of how your clients prefer to be contacted so you don't kill your relationship with them with "death by a thousand paper cuts"?
• Do you give your existing clients preferential pricing and scheduling?  (I LOVE the fact that when I go to my salon, I'm never kept waiting and I pay $3 less than everyone else for basic services. It keeps me coming back and hey, $3 is $3.)
• Do you routinely go the extra mile and let them know (in a nice way) that you've done so on their behalf?
• Do all of your team members refer to them by name?

Clients who feel well taken care of stick around.

Are you doing something special for your clients that makes it easy for them to conduct repeat business with you? Do tell...