Unless you've built a home or commercial property with stone columns, fireplaces or replica statues, chances are you haven't heard of Milestone Architectural Ornamentation. But be sure that customers of the stone building firm know its name well. The company's customer relationship strategy revolves around going beyond commodity status. Milestone meets needs that clients didn't even know they had.

In addition to supplying stone for building projects, Milestone uses printed pieces as a retention tool, by sending personalized mailings and posters to each individual customer. For Milestone, competition is fierce and to stay competitive, so it's worth the investment to keep the customer relationship strong, even after the sale. "When you're small, you've got to be personal," says Milestone CEO Melody Brenna. "We're a smaller company in the stone business, and we're custom. It makes us unique."

Brenna or one of her staff members takes photos and creates customized photo posters and postcards of each completed job. "We're reminding our customers that we did a great job, and together completed a great project," Brenna says. The company sends three or four posters and 50-150 postcards to each customer, which feature the logos of the both Milestone and that individual client. "Years later, that printed piece may be sitting on a desk in the office. You cannot imagine where the pieces go."

Brenna, who has experience in the marketing and advertising industry, says that her customers are primarily architects, masons, developers, and remodeling firms. They do not have any graphics experience or resources, so they really appreciate the extra touch. For example, the company has built a strong relationship with one customer, Krause Landscape, which has put up the posters in its offices. "It works so beautifully for them and shows that they're a good firm," says Brenna. "As a result, they're always happy to call us." In the B2B space, it's a way that Milestone can strengthen its reputation with clients beyond the basics of supplying commodities.

Brenna estimates that she sends out anywhere from 30 to 100 pieces per week to clients. All work is done in-house. "Without a doubt, it's worth the investment," Brenna says, which includes costs to take and develop photos, buy poster materials, and do the design, printing, and mailing. She adds that customers have responded very positively, and some customers even ask for more posters. Brenna has started giving customers their design disks so they can print more on their own. "We've got a little in-house ad agency," Brenna says, which helps Milestone meet its customers' unanticipated needs in a unique way.