Once you establish a base of clients, you'll need to make sure that they continue to use your services. You'll have to develop additional menus and event ideas so that clients can use you repeatedly and have a different type of meal each time. Clients who use you to entertain their family, friends, or colleagues often entertain some of the same guests, so you'll want to show them that you have new things to offer in addition to their old favorites.

While some clients will call you when they need you, you'll have to work to keep in touch with your clients, making sure that they're still happy with your services and keeping your business in mind. Keep an accurate database in your computer of who hired you, the organization's name (if any), the date of the event, the type of occasion, the cost of the event, and any contact information such as phone numbers and e-mail addresses. If it was a personal occasion like a birthday or anniversary celebration, make sure to record the date on your calendar and send a card a month before the occasion congratulating them and enclose a $100 gift certificate toward your catering services for an event.

E-Mail Newsletters

Maintaining an active client list takes work. You need to be proactive. Send e-mail newsletters to your clients at least once a season telling them what new dishes and services you're offering. Include some beautiful photos from recent events and make sure to link to your Web site. Include a promotional offer if your bookings are a bit slow.

Follow Up

Make sure to follow up with every client the week after the event, even if they seemed pleased during the event. Ask them if they would have liked anything done differently, and listen to what they have to say. Don't dispute them, and don't argue with them. If they give you any specifics, write them down. If they don't give you any specifics, ask them if they'd use you again.

If they say they plan to use you again and don't mention a time frame, ask them when they think their next party might be. Ask them if they can recommend you to their friends and colleagues and if you can send them business cards to give to their friends. If they agree, make sure to follow up within a week and send business cards along with a note thanking the client for their help and a certificate for a discount off your services.

For clients who refer business to you, send them a thank-you note along with a jar of homemade pickles or preserves or a tin of homemade cookies or chocolates. They'll appreciate the personal touch.

If the customer doesn't think that they'll use you again, find out why. This isn't easy to do, but it's necessary. Getting a concrete reason may help you change your services to make them more accessible, but some clients may simply be unreasonable.

Tell them you'd appreciate the feedback. Listen to what they have to say and thank them for being straightforward with you. Within a few days, write the client a note and tell her you've remedied the problems and hope she'll give you another chance. Include a certificate that will give her a discount off of her next job if she books within a year.

Recommendation Letters

Sometimes you may get a thank-you note from clients when you do an outstanding job. Ask the client if you can put their note on your Web site as a testimonial. If you think you did a stellar job for a client but didn't get a thank-you note, it's okay to ask him to write you a recommendation letter. Tell him it will help you with your sales and that you appreciate how busy he is. Sometimes the client will ask you to draft the note for him, so be prepared to do that as well. Make sure to draft a note that is grounded and objective; don't gush about yourself.

Client Tasting Parties

An innovative way to keep your customers thinking about you for months is to invite them to a tasting party. Invite forty of your best clients to a cocktail hour or dessert reception and use the opportunity to test some new recipes or hors d'oeuvres on customers. Your customers will be flattered with the invitation, and hopefully you'll end up with a group of at least twenty people. You can ask clients to bring a guest they'd like to introduce to your food. If you don't have a place for guests, see if a local art gallery owner will let you have the party at her gallery.

Another way to grow your business and increase revenue is to offer a meal delivery service to your clientele. You can cook meals for clients during your slow times and deliver them on a weekly basis. You can also make cookies, brownies, sandwich platters, and other easyto-prepare items for clients who order ahead and have them pick up the items at your kitchen or deliver the orders if they're big enough.