I had an interesting conversation with a nice gentleman when I was at the Opera last night and it hit me that a lot of people think a client and a customer are one and the same… but I beg to differ.

“All clients are customers but not all customers are clients.”

A customer is one that you tend to have a transactional relationship with… somebody that perhaps will pop in to your store/restaurant or whatever place of business, buy something and then you never see them again.

Whereas a client is one that you have a strategic relationship with… somebody that you do business with on a regular basis. In general, clients are more valuable than customers but as always, it depends. Clients tend to spend more per transaction and more often.

As an owner/investor in various businesses and former client relationship manager for 2 other companies, I know the difference and value of turning customers in to clients. Clients care about you and your well being, just as you care about them and their well being. Clients become friends, associates, references, partners, employees, and employers in some cases. Customers are buying from your competitor.

Whether you have your own business or work for the man, your objective should be to engage your customers and convert them to clients. For your efforts, you’ll achieve greater job satisfaction, increased prosperity and feel better about yourself.