Yesterday I had a great client relationship experience. I met two new clients in person and left thrilled to be working for them because I know I can really help them with their marketing goals. It was pretty amazing how quickly we clicked. Here are some rules I follow to attract great customers. Maybe they’ll help you.
• Surround yourself with good partners.
I got the work from another vendor who, like me, always puts her clients first. Maybe it’s no accident that we work well together—we both are totally committed to getting to know our clients’ business inside and out, so we can serve their best interests always. Law of attraction: You draw to yourself and your work what you put out there. If you want to surround yourself with excellent people, you have to be top notch in customer service yourself.
• Listen. This was my first in-person meeting, but both my partner and I had done quite a bit of research on our client, their philosophies, and their competition. Still, nothing beats hearing it straight from them, in their words, with their gestures and interjections.
Listening sounds so obvious, but you’d be surprised how many of your customers have hired people who came into their space and immediately launched into a presentation on why they are such great vendors. Every last one of your clients and prospects has been burned like this before, so show up all ears. They’ll appreciate it and you’ll…
• Attract customers who are willing to help you help them! A customer who won’t sounds self-defeating, but they’re not uncommon. Some clients get defensive if you challenge their perspective.
Why didn’t they get defensive? I let them know: “I have lots of questions and some of them are challenging, but if you can bear with me, you may find it helps you as much as it helps me.” They answered them as honestly and as fully as they could.
I explained I was trying to anticipate objections or confusion on behalf of their target audience. They know their customers pretty well, but it’s my job to also understand their prospects, as well as leads they may be losing and why.
Lucky break? Maybe. But “luck visits the prepared mind” as they say. That’s why Wily Dogs do their homework, put in extra effort on every project, and put their customers first. Please share how you’ve contributed to your own successful customer relationships!
Wily Dog Speaks! 
May 16, 2009 at 9:34 pm |
The best clients understand that the more you learn about them the better you can serve them. Open access to people in the organization is vitally important to a successful outcome.
I love working with people in sales, because they are usually the first point of contact with their customers. The engineers and product development folks bring a valuable product (or service) perspective. The customer service reps hear the good, the bad and the ugly. When a client pairs an open door policy with an open research policy, we also get to hear what the client’s customers are saying first hand.
Listening is so important. I used to cringe when a former employer conducted a sales call. Each presentation started with PowerPoint slides about his company (“XYZ was founded in 1990 and is headquartered in Monkey’s Eyebrow, Arizona; We are the leader in combulated platforms.”) It seemed completely backward to me. What’s more, the sale was highly consultative in nature, crying out for input up front from the prospective customer, who usually didn’t get to say anything during the presentation unless s/he interrupted the soporific delivery.
Active listening – don’t leave home without it!
May 19, 2009 at 11:25 am |
Not a potential client right now, but absolutely love what you’re saying. Great job Wily Dog!
May 19, 2009 at 8:53 pm |
Amen! I never understood why Customer Service in many companies is separate from Marketing. Makes no sense. Like you said, CS reps hear the good, the bad, the ugly…all marketing gold. Having your CS inside your Mktg. department shortens the distance between goof-up and recovery, or brilliant move and the next campaign that writes itself! How you use the good is obvious. But using the bad is really a challenge and almost always worth the effort. To go back to engineering and suggest modifications can be an act of bravery, but in fact such feedback should be embraced. You have a chance to improve your product or service! And you didn’t have to spend a ton on researching why no one’s buying…they just told you to your face what’s wrong. Wily Dogs see that as a lucky break.