Like so many others, I scan my morning Groupon and Living Social coupons.

I quickly glance through my monthly Reach coupon magazine and that overstuffed valpak.

Americans love a deal.

It gives us that extra nudge to go out to dinner, clean our duct work, or change the oil in our car.

Do you agree?

This week, I was thrilled to see a full page ad and coupon for a free day of dog daycare.

This place is the Taj Mahal of pet resorts.

No cages. 11 hours of play time per day.

My dog has been there before and loved it.

He became Norm walking into Cheers.

And now an extra incentive to bring him back to the pet resort!

Customer loyalty as its best.

And then I read the small print…

“Coupon for new customers only.”

My elation turned into deflation.

So what I’m hearing is all other customers can go to..

You get the point.

All of sudden it hit me…

Is that how I treat my own customers?

Am I always searching for the next big client while ignoring the ones who already know and trust me?

If the volume of generic LinkedIn invitations is any indication, many professionals are focused more on collecting names than connecting them.

(For further consideration and reference, here are my guidelines for LinkedIn invitations)

Try Something Different

I encourage you to spend one week focusing only on the connections you already have.

Use LinkedIn. Use Twitter or Facebook.

Read their last message or blog.

Take a look at what they saying.

Follow up via traditional email, the phone, or snail mail.

Simply ask how your friend is doing and if there is anything you can do to help.

A simple gesture will not go unnoticed.

Don’t leave the people who already care about you in the dog house.

What are your thoughts?

About the Author

Brent Peterson, PMP, MS, MBA, is the founder of Interview Angel Inc, a company that offers a comprehensive guide and toolkit for job seekers to use in interviews.

The purpose of Interview Angel is to take the fear out of job interviews.  Customer testimonials for the Interview Angel product are posted online for additional reference.

Brent’s first customer was a father who purchased Interview Angel as a graduation gift for his daughter.  Since then, clients have included government workforce centers, business school programs, a corporation going through a merger, and Goodwill Industries.