Already aware that every customer represents a potential lifetime value for your business? Great! So what are you doing to ensure that your customer remains... well, your customer?

Here are 5 things you must do to keep your customer coming back for more:

1) Communicate regularly with your customer.

You don't have to try to sell her something everytime you get in touch. Try emailing your customer to find out how your product or service is working out for her. This tells her loud and clear that you care about *her*, not just about her money. Other ways to keep in touch with your customer could be surveys and even virtual greeting cards. Don't be afraid to get creative.

2) Guarantee your product or service in a way that makes it truly risk-free for your customer.

If you truly believe in your product and the benfits it offers your customer, a 100% unconditional money-back guarantee won't be a problem. If you've really got the guts to go for it, do what Ken Evoy does and offer a "Buy Now - Pay Maybe" guarantee.

[Ken Evoy is the emergency room physician turned Internet marketing guru who brought us Make Your SITE SELL!, the bible of creating web sites that really sell, as well as Make Your Knowledge Sell!, the ultimate guide to creating and selling your own infoproduct. Want to see his "Buy Now - Pay Maybe" guarantee in action? Check out the site for his latest product, Make Your Price Sell!]

3) Make it easy for your customer to contact you.

Post your email address, phone number, 800 number, fax number, and snail mail address on your web site. You'll boost your credibility, making it easier for your customer to trust you. For even better results, when your customer contacts you, surprise her with a speedy turn-around time.

4) State your privacy policy clearly.

If you don't already have a privacy policy, formulate one now and post it prominently on your site. Post it now, and live by it -- Always! Your customer trusts you to do the right thing when her personal information is involved. Never violate this trust.

5) Let your customer make a profit.

What? That's right... Just as you need to make a profit to stay in business, your customer needs to make a profit in order to want to do business with you again.

"The successful producer of an article sells it for more than it cost him to make, and that's his profit. But the customer buys it only because it is worth more to him than he pays for it, and that's *his* profit. No one can long make a profit producing anything unless the customer makes a profit using it."

- Samuel B. Pettengill, U.S. Representative (IN), 1931-1939

Your customer realizes a profit when your product or service is more valuable to her than its cost. In other words, you must find the optimal price for your goods, a price that's fair to you and your customer.

[There's only one affordable way to determine your optimal selling price, and that's Make Your Price Sell! Here's your chance to put Ken's "Buy Now - Pay Maybe" guarantee to the test.]

Implement these techniques today, and you'll be well on your way to maximizing the lifetime value of your customer. And don't think she won't appreciate you for it.