Get All Your Customers' Eggs in Your Basket

Aggregate. In other words, cross-sell other products and services. It's easy since you already have a relationship with your customers. Offer one-stop shopping, consolidated billing, free shipping and other benefits for giving you more of their business. Everyone's busy, and consumers are looking for service providers who can make their lives easier. It's what they want, so why not give it to them?

Case in point: Amazon.com. What started as the "Earth's Biggest Bookstore" in 1995 is now an online powerhouse, offering everything from toys to travel and Target merchandise. Amazon.com took a winning formula and added new product categories and partners. And in spite of their hugeness, they come across as warm and approachable, with a personalized homepage and customer-specific product recommendations.

—From "Customer Retention 101: Are you making the grade?"

by Lisa Bell, president and chief creative officer, Tivoli Partners