Standing out can be a great thing, or a terrible thing. You can be remembered for being amazing, or awful. Or, you can fit somewhere in between. As “fine,” as “standard,” as “good enough.” Most businesses are somewhere in between awful and amazing. Most businesses do well enough to stay in business, but don’t have people lined up waiting for a chance to experience what they have to offer. Most are always out looking for that next customer. The experience they gave their customers just wasn’t that memorable. Not memorable enough for customers to frequently return, and not memorable enough to be shared with others.
Most Businesses Fail at Client Care
I’m an optimistic person, one who focuses on the good in life, the great in life, the potential in life. But as I’ve come to realize lately, so many of my blog posts are client care gone wrong, or at least not right. So why the focus on so much negative when I’m such a positive person? Because 98% of businesses deliver an experience that’s either “not that great” or “just ok.” Most businesses are just lost somewhere in the middle. And they’re comfortable staying there. Because as long as an experience wasn’t comically awful, the majority of us are at least willing to entertain the idea of returning to a “just ok” place. The client care bar is just that low.
Great Client Care Can Make You Different
So what does that mean for you? It’s easy to be remembered. Having great client care can become your niche. Your strategic competitive advantage. The thing that makes your business so successful (other than your stellar designs of course). Because there just isn’t that much competition out there when it comes to client care. So many businesses still aren’t focused on their client care because they think there’s so much else they need to be working on first – marketing, advertising, blogging, networking, etc. And not that these priorities aren’t important, but, if they work, and you get a lot of people in your door, then what? You certainly don’t want to come up with client care on the fly. It needs to be a strategic plan, fully laid out, ready for action from the moment you first open your door. Because if you’re not fully capable of taking great care of all those new clients, the next lot of clients are going to be a lot harder to come by.
And the great thing about client care is, often, it’s free. You don’t have to buy your clients a $400 vase at the end of a project, or send them on a day trip for installation day, or drop off a $100 fruit basket for Christmas to make them happy. Sure, these things are awesome and everyone loves to be pampered. But, they aren’t deal breakers if you can’t afford to do them. Phenomenal client care is the same as the care of a best friend. They consistently show that they’re thinking of you, are always looking out for your best interest, apologize when necessary, and are always trying their hardest to take care of problems you need help with. You don’t care if she’s gives you a hat she crocheted for your bday, as how she treats you is far more important. The same goes for client care. You just have to make it a priority.
Get Your Clients, Then Keep Your Clients
So when you’re not sure if focusing on client care is something that can be put on the back burner, or something you can take care of next year, or maybe something that you’ll try to do without completely, remember that if you want to stand out, it needs to be priority 1. Or at least 2, after, get clients. Because once those clients are in the door, it’s time to keep them there, and keep them happy. And when you do, you’ll be remembered for it. For a long, long time.
If you’d like even more ideas on how to beat out the competition with spectacular client care, email me at ashley@ashleyuhlconsulting.com to find out how!
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