everybody in the company from the chairman
on down, simply by spending his
money somewhere else."
~Sam Walton,
How To Be Sizzling Hot When It Comes To Client Satisfaction
By Deb Pilgrim
I say it all the time: You need to love your clients.
I know, I'm saying the "L" word in business. Fancy that! To me it's a no-brainer, my clients are my business, and without them there would be no business. So you won't hear me whinging or whining about my ideal clients. What you will hear from me is: "How can I serve my clients better?", "What more do I need to understand about their wants and needs?", and "What do I need to do to provide extraordinary client satisfaction?"
"What is client satisfaction?", I hear you ask; "Aren't I really just talking about customer service?" Many people see that there is a difference, but I believe the difference between customer service and client satisfaction is all in the terminology. I personally think it is time to move the focus from service into satisfaction.
I recently heard a great distinction between these two terms: customer service is more of a reactive attitude, while client satisfaction is seen as adopting a proactive attitude. Being proactive in your business and with your clients is much easier than being reactive, and as we all know, it is less expensive and less time consuming for us to keep our current clients rather than go in search of new clients all the time.
Discover Treasure#1: Be really clear on who your ideal clients are.
You can never really know too much about your clients. Understand the underlying drivers of your ideal clients. Underlying drivers are the beliefs, feelings, and desires that drive your clients' buying behavior. Once you understand this, and I mean really understand this, you will not only begin to speak the language of your ideal clients, but they will hear and understand what you can do for them. They will know that you are the person who will help them solve their issues or challenges. They will realize this because not only do you know these people, you are also clear on the benefits your products or services provide. If you have been following me for a while now, you will know that I am constantly talking about how you need to be clear on the benefits and results your products and services provide. This is not new, but what we often forget is that while clients will buy the product for the benefit, they will stay for the experience. You want to make sure the experience they have with you is worth staying for. Think about ways in which you can continue to provide your clients with an extraordinary experience.
Discover Treasure#2: Make sure that your clients' expectations are always met. What are the expectations your clients have of you or your services? Do you really know, or do you simply presume you know? When was the last time you asked a client what they really expected from you? These are all great questions to consider, because when you are clear on these expectations, this is when the extraordinary client experience can really kick in. Not only are you satisfying your clients' initial needs, but also you have taken the time and effort to further understand them. The experience you then provide them can be different from anything they have previously experienced.
Discover Treasure#3: Re-affirm that the decision to buy from you was the correct decision. A simple way to do this is by not over committing. Once a client has decided to buy your product or service, don't forget about them. Put in place a strong communication strategy that will support your client and the relationship you want to build. Be responsible for the types of communication that are being sent, and be aware that it is your responsibility to ensure your clients understand your messages. And remember, once they have made that initial purchase, don't forget about them. A great technique to consider is to check in with them 24 hours after the initial purchase, and answer any questions they may have about the product or service you provided. Another way is to use your client testimonials for retention, not just in the initial pre-purchasing stage. Again, include some of your testimonials in your initial follow up emails, to remind the client that they have made the right decision in wanting to purchase from you and your business.
Discover Treasure#4: Treat each client as an individual, and take the time to find out who your best clients are. By understanding this, you can increase the lifetime value of these clients. You spend so much time bringing these clients in, so why not do what you can to keep them? Really get to know your clients - find out about them and keep up to date with what is happening for them. Understand what they want from you. It might be that they don't need to receive a discount on a current product, what they may need is a more advanced course or product to keep them moving forward. They may need to work with you exclusively, or they may need you to refer them to some one who can better meet their needs at this point in time. Be willing to do what you can to serve your clients at the level they deserve.
Discover Treasure #5: Deal with complaints - Immediately! When a client contacts you to complain about a product or service, look at it as a blessing in disguise. For every client who may complain, there are probably many who don't, but who may spread negative comments about your business. So in the situations where you might receive a complaint, deal with it immediately and deal with it honestly. If you need to give a refund, exchange a product or do a repair, ensure that you do this as soon as possible. Seeking client satisfaction benefits your business in the long run. In addition, why not offer the client a special offer or bonus on another product or service as well? Show your clients that you value their business. And remember, once you have dealt with the complaint, take the time to rectify the problem. It is in your best interest to solve any problems as soon as you possibly can, and learn from the issues that came to light to make sure they don't happen again.
I know, I'm saying the "L" word in business. Fancy that! To me it's a no-brainer, my clients are my business, and without them there would be no business. So you won't hear me whinging or whining about my ideal clients. What you will hear from me is: "How can I serve my clients better?", "What more do I need to understand about their wants and needs?", and "What do I need to do to provide extraordinary client satisfaction?"
"What is client satisfaction?", I hear you ask; "Aren't I really just talking about customer service?" Many people see that there is a difference, but I believe the difference between customer service and client satisfaction is all in the terminology. I personally think it is time to move the focus from service into satisfaction.
I recently heard a great distinction between these two terms: customer service is more of a reactive attitude, while client satisfaction is seen as adopting a proactive attitude. Being proactive in your business and with your clients is much easier than being reactive, and as we all know, it is less expensive and less time consuming for us to keep our current clients rather than go in search of new clients all the time.
Here are Five Steps to that Buried Treasure of Extraordinary Client Satisfaction:
Discover Treasure#1: Be really clear on who your ideal clients are.
You can never really know too much about your clients. Understand the underlying drivers of your ideal clients. Underlying drivers are the beliefs, feelings, and desires that drive your clients' buying behavior. Once you understand this, and I mean really understand this, you will not only begin to speak the language of your ideal clients, but they will hear and understand what you can do for them. They will know that you are the person who will help them solve their issues or challenges. They will realize this because not only do you know these people, you are also clear on the benefits your products or services provide. If you have been following me for a while now, you will know that I am constantly talking about how you need to be clear on the benefits and results your products and services provide. This is not new, but what we often forget is that while clients will buy the product for the benefit, they will stay for the experience. You want to make sure the experience they have with you is worth staying for. Think about ways in which you can continue to provide your clients with an extraordinary experience.
Discover Treasure#2: Make sure that your clients' expectations are always met. What are the expectations your clients have of you or your services? Do you really know, or do you simply presume you know? When was the last time you asked a client what they really expected from you? These are all great questions to consider, because when you are clear on these expectations, this is when the extraordinary client experience can really kick in. Not only are you satisfying your clients' initial needs, but also you have taken the time and effort to further understand them. The experience you then provide them can be different from anything they have previously experienced.
Discover Treasure#3: Re-affirm that the decision to buy from you was the correct decision. A simple way to do this is by not over committing. Once a client has decided to buy your product or service, don't forget about them. Put in place a strong communication strategy that will support your client and the relationship you want to build. Be responsible for the types of communication that are being sent, and be aware that it is your responsibility to ensure your clients understand your messages. And remember, once they have made that initial purchase, don't forget about them. A great technique to consider is to check in with them 24 hours after the initial purchase, and answer any questions they may have about the product or service you provided. Another way is to use your client testimonials for retention, not just in the initial pre-purchasing stage. Again, include some of your testimonials in your initial follow up emails, to remind the client that they have made the right decision in wanting to purchase from you and your business.
Discover Treasure#4: Treat each client as an individual, and take the time to find out who your best clients are. By understanding this, you can increase the lifetime value of these clients. You spend so much time bringing these clients in, so why not do what you can to keep them? Really get to know your clients - find out about them and keep up to date with what is happening for them. Understand what they want from you. It might be that they don't need to receive a discount on a current product, what they may need is a more advanced course or product to keep them moving forward. They may need to work with you exclusively, or they may need you to refer them to some one who can better meet their needs at this point in time. Be willing to do what you can to serve your clients at the level they deserve.
Discover Treasure #5: Deal with complaints - Immediately! When a client contacts you to complain about a product or service, look at it as a blessing in disguise. For every client who may complain, there are probably many who don't, but who may spread negative comments about your business. So in the situations where you might receive a complaint, deal with it immediately and deal with it honestly. If you need to give a refund, exchange a product or do a repair, ensure that you do this as soon as possible. Seeking client satisfaction benefits your business in the long run. In addition, why not offer the client a special offer or bonus on another product or service as well? Show your clients that you value their business. And remember, once you have dealt with the complaint, take the time to rectify the problem. It is in your best interest to solve any problems as soon as you possibly can, and learn from the issues that came to light to make sure they don't happen again.
Ten Treasure Filled Ideas For Extraordinary Client Satisfaction:
- Never take your clients for granted. Be thankful for each one of them.
- Think outside the box and go the extra mile for your clients.
- Stop and listen to what your clients are saying, and understand what they really need. Don't presume you know what they need.
- Always put yourself in the same playing field: Never think you are more important than anyone else.
- Communicate clearly. In fact, why not over-communicate!
- Ask for feedback, and be willing to accept what your clients are feeding back to you. Make the necessary changes if required.
- Work with clients you want to work with.
- Host a client appreciation event.
- Take the time to really know your clients.
- At the end of the day - have fun with your clients. Isn't that why you are in business?
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