You have three simple ways that we could apply in your own personal relationships to your business ones.With this you can make that special someone in your life feel extra special and how you can apply these same actions to strengthen your client relationships:

1.      Send random "warm fuzzies." The keyword here is "random." Your significant other expects flowers, chocolate, and gifts on holidays like Valentine's Day, your anniversary, their birthday, etc. What about a "random" Wednesday night? I am sure your honey would feel extra special if he/she came home from a long day of work to a nice bouquet of their favorite flowers or a candlelight dinner.

Business translation: Just like your significant other, clients want to feel special. And if you are not the one making them feel special (especially in this competitive environment) you can bet your competitors-in-their-marketing-processes they are.

Now, I am not suggesting your show up at your client's door with a bouquet of long stem roses. Take your client out to lunch or to a sporting event. Send your client articles or other content that can help them in their role or situation. Talk to them on a regular basis, "off the clock." It's about building and maintaining real relationships.

Why this works: It shows your client that you are thinking about them not just when you are working on a big project. It shows you are engaged in the relationship and it's unexpected. It catches the client off-guard and shows you truly understand their situation, care, and are someone who can be trusted and can help.

2.      Get to know their friends. A large part of any relationship is introducing your significant other to your friends. We all respect our friends' opinions and are influenced by what they have to say about another person. If your significant other's friends don't like you, it is going to be an uphill battle. On the other hand, if their friends do like you, it creates a stronger bond between you and your sweetie as the friends are constantly reinforcing just how great you two are.

Business translation: Get to know your client's colleagues and business associates inside and outside of their firm. Who does your client report to? Who else is on your client's team? What other divisions are in the client company and are there contacts within these divisions you can make? What associations does your client belong to? Build relationships that span beyond your primary contact and make yourself available as a resource to their contacts.

Why this works: In a business setting, decisions often involve multiple parties of decision makers, influencers, end users, etc. The better the relationship you have with each of these parties, the better your chances of winning new business. Having an internal champion (typically your primary contact) is necessary, but not sufficient. Getting to know who else is in the client company will open new doors for you that you otherwise may not have known existed.

Another benefit to this approach: Clients and prospects are great referral sources. Consider this part of your own networking plan. The more relationships you are able to build, the more referral sources you are generating.

3.      Give compliments. Compliments make people feel good. When you get a compliment from your sweetie it elicits a warm response and often makes you feel special.

Business translation: Compliment your clients on projects they are working on. In order to do this, you need to know what's going on in their business. If they just won a big contract, congratulate them. If they launched a new website and you think it looks great, tell them. If they just merged with another business (assuming this was a friendly merger), ask them how they are adjusting to the transition. Act interested and be interested in all areas of their business.

It's obvious stuff and it often gets overlooked because we are busy and because we don't take the time to truly get to know what is going on in our client's business.

Why this works: 1) It feels good to be recognized and 2) your client values your opinion. If you have positioned yourself as a trusted advisor and expert, they are going to value what you have to say. If they can impress you with their work, they must be doing something right.

Additionally, by knowing what's going on in your client's business, you may be able to position yourself for more work. You have the inside track and can get much more information about what's coming down the road and the challenges they face. Take advantage of this position.

Caveats: In personal and business relationships only give compliments when they are warranted. People quickly sense a fake and false compliments can blow up in your face.

Also, don't overdo it by turning your praise into flattery. Complimenting is a balancing act. If you overdo it, you decrease the value and impact of each individual compliment (we all know someone who's a "yes man"), but, if you offer your compliments at the appropriate time, you can reap big rewards.