BUSINESS people in East Lancashire have the opportunity to obtain a new toolkit -- one that will be invaluable in ensuring they have an effective customer care strategy.

It is a well-known business maxim that it costs five times as much to attract a new customer than it does to keep hold of an existing one.

So anything that helps to retain a company's customer base has to be a good investment.

The 10-step customer care toolkit is on offer at two seminars being hosted next Wednesday at the Dunkenhalgh Hotel by Mayes Business Partnership of Accrington. It is supported by the Lancashire Evening Telegraph.

The action-packed seminars, which are sponsored nationally by NatWest Bank, will teach delegates how to ensure every customer becomes an ally, how to handle negative situations, how to develop a winning competitive edge and how to build a business wanted by customers.

Presented by Malcolm Gallagher, the writer and host of the BBC TV BizVision programmes, the video will feature success stories and give delegates a valuable insight into key customer care strategies.

There are two sessions, one in the morning, aimed at companies in the business-to-business sector, and one in the afternoon targeted at the business-to-consumer market.

Registration for the morning session is at 9am, with the seminar running from 9.30am to 12.30pm, followed by a buffet lunch. Registration in the afternoon is at 3pm, with the event taking place between 3.30pm and 6.30pm, when a buffet will be served.

There are still places left for both sessions.

To book your place, phone Mayes Business Partnership, Tel: 01254 391327.

Admission is by ticket only, priced at £80 plus VAT.