crayons & marketers

“The customer is always right.” A classic saying championed by retail moguls like Marshall Field way back in the 1800s and is still alive and well today. In fact, empowered with smartphones and tablets, customers are supplying feedback on their experiences at the point of sale and sharing it with the masses.

So, it seems as if the balance of power has truly shifted from the business to the customer. Wouldn’t you agree?

And the story is no different for businesses whose customer is a another business.

As our businesses mature, we begin to take a closer look at the types of prospects we’re targeting, the types of clients we have and the relationships we build with each of them because it impacts the way we do business.

We find that some client relationships are healthy, while others aren’t.

It’s up to you to put checks and balances in place. 

Set your boundaries and educate your clients on how you do business.

Take back a little bit of that power, without sacrificing the client experience, by keeping these insights in mind…

1. Own the tactics.  Involve your clients in the strategy needed to accomplish the end goal, but try to minimize their participation in the tactics needed to get there.

As the expert, you’ve been hired by your client to fix a problem or bring additional value.  If you aren’t allowed to work in the manner in which you see best, your likelihood of success may be impacted.

Just think about it. If you’re asked to put on a roof and the client insists you do it one way, when you know another way would be better and a year later, the roof fell in, who do you think will be held responsible?

Fair or not, you’re being held accountable for the outcome, good or bad. You want as much power over that as possible because it impacts your ability to get more work in the future.

2. Routinely communicate.  Just because you own the tactics doesn’t mean that you fail to keep your client in the know. Your primary goal is to create an amazing experience for them.

That experience involves keeping your clients in the loop at all times. Weekly status updates, monthly calls, quarterly reporting. Use these routine updates to reinforce the value that you’re providing.

If they have to call you, you’ve just went from client experience to customer service, which means you’ve dropped the ball somewhere.

3. Be prepared to walk away.  No one wants to lose a client. But, there may come a day when you have to fire one.  In the perfect world, your client will give you direction and then let you fly. You’ll solve the problem, keeping them in the loop each step of the way, and have something to show for it at the end of the day.

But in reality, some client relationships are volatile and you cringe with each phone call or nasty email. You know you’re being taken advantage of or your employees are being treated poorly.

You want clients that value what you have to offer and see you as a trusted advisor, a partner even, in the journey to accomplish a common goal. While not all client relationships are going to be perfect, they should always be professional.  If they aren’t, perhaps you should re-consider it.

Ultimately, servicing your clients is a matter of trust…it’s a bridge.

You’ll never own the tactics if your clients don’t trust you. And you build that trust even before the sale, when you’re courting them and showing them how valuable you are. And once they do sign on, it can’t stop. You have to continue to re-communicate that value.

Some clients will fall away because it’s not a good fit, but others will stay and partner with you for the long road ahead.

Trust bridges the gap between business and client and covers a sea of doubt. Trust will give you another chance when you get it wrong, and the customer was indeed right.