Who doesn’t love the romantic gestures and grandiose displays of affection that abound on Valentine’s Day? Any relationship specialist will tell you that celebrating Valentine’s Day is fine and good, but it’s the daily dynamics and behaviors that make or break a relationship. All the long stem roses in the world on February 14th won’t make up for a lack of respect, appreciation and adoration the other 364 days of the year. And so it goes with our customer relationships – because the dynamics of a healthy, interdependent relationship really don’t change dramatically whether it is personal or business.

Think about your strongest customer relationships. They probably involve a great deal of mutual trust and respect. You have earned favorable position by investing your time and energy, with consistency in your engagement and value contribution. You stay close to these customers. These customers know you love them.

Now think about the rest of your customer relationships. Are there customers who might be feeling neglected or unappreciated? Take a moment to consider which customer relationships might be under-nourished and vulnerable, and then commit to change that scenario. Don’t wait until the contract is up for renewal or you have a new product to launch to show your customers how much you love them – by then it will probably be too late. The most dazzling sales presentation in the world won’t make up for a lack of attention or value contribution the other 364 days of the year.