Do you know what your client experiences when he or she hires you for your service or buys your product?
You do realize this would be a great thing for you to know – and to experience for yourself, right?
I have some ideas for you.
For 10 years, or more, I owned a graphic design company. Our team did design work for hundreds of clients. We bitched about them, we loved them, and sometimes we hated them (OK, “hate” is a little strong). But, does this sound familiar?
They had impossible, unrealistic deadlines. They sometimes balked at our prices. They were frequently clueless about what they wanted… they were… typical clients.
I spent literally over a decade with this interesting love / hate relationship with my clients. I often approached my work with a cavalier attitude. I’d complete design projects on behalf of my client’s thinking,
“OK, here’s some really great designs, you’re probably not going to choose the one I recommend and you’re going to ask for endless revisions.”
In other words, I looked at things only from the business owner’s point of view.
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If you’ve been following my logo project you’ll know that it was about being in action and seeing what we can learn from it. It was a fun project.
Little did I know a huge ah-hah! was in store for me. I love it when this happens.
For the first time, ever, I hired a graphic designer – three firms in fact – to design a logo for me, and I blogged about it. I wish I had done this years ago. And, it’s a lesson I’ll never forget.
Lesson number one:
Even though you have been in business for years and have completed your service for your clients hundreds of times – it is most likely your client’s very first time. I never dreamed how exciting it was going to be to get new logo designs. The anticipation was so cool… it was almost like waiting for a really great holiday or gift. And, I couldn’t wait to share them with you on my blog!
Hmm. So, the boss was cavalier. The client was… excited? Wow. Who knew?
If you are offering something that will improve another person’s life, make things easier for them or solve a problem — they are always going to be excited to do business with you.
Lesson number two:
Whatever business you’re in, make an effort to experience your service or product from the client’s side of the table. Take the initiative.
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For example, if you’re a CPA, hire a CPA this year rather than do your own books and returns. I can think of very few professions where this might be impossible (brain surgeon?). Here’s a tip: Don’t hire a colleague, hire a complete stranger. This way you’ll be forced to start from scratch. How do you find someone? Yellow pages? (I don’t think so.) Word of mouth? Craig’s list? You need to know what your clients face when presented with this dilemma.
If you sell a product, go out and buy your competitor’s product. Say you design and sell the iPhone… then go out and buy the Droid and the BlackBerry Storm (Steve Jobs probably already knows this). Experience the process and the product.
(In the rare case where doing this is impossible, like the brain surgeon, have an impartial third party follow up with your client or patient after they’ve used your service and ask the questions below.)
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Here are the questions to answer once you’ve hired your competitor or purchased your competitor’s product.
How difficult was it to actually find and hire the person or business?
How can you make this easier for your clients?
What’d they do well?
What’d they do that you would never do to your own client?
What was the experience of working with the individual or company?
Did they develop a relationship with you?
Did they exceed your expectations? How?
What questions did they ask you?
Did they attempt to get to know you?
Make notes of what your “competitor” did really well and failed miserably in. Critique the service you received. Look at the product or service from the viewpoint of the client.
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And finally, what ideas can you get from this experience?
This will help you define your customer.
What does your customer really want and need?
What is your customer expecting?
How can you provide it?
What changes do you need to make to attract and keep your preferred clients?
Can you develop a competitive advantage by improving on your customer’s experience?
What do you do really well?
What is your vision of excellence?
Where do you excel in terms of excellence?
The experience of putting yourself in your client’s shoes is priceless. I’ll bet your competitors are not doing this. They should. The TV show Undercover Boss takes a different twist on this. The company owner — CEO or top brass — actually goes out in the field of his or her own company and works, undercover, as a regular employee of the company. Hmm. Not a bad idea either!
Will you step out of your own little world and comfort zone and experience your business from another angle?
How about it? Are you willing to take the challenge? Please leave a comment below on how you see this working in your business!
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{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Great points! I went through the same thing when I had my business logo designed. Although I was very happy with the end result, the designer was often missing the deadlines we’d agreed upon. She promised initial concepts by a certain date, then I didn’t hear from her for a week. Once I’d followed up, she’d send them, then be late again on revisions. I try to be an understanding person, and really would not have been upset if she’d simply emailed me to tell me she was a little behind. So the whole experience reinforced the importance of honesty and communication when it comes to client relations.
Funny enough, I also recently had my blog redesigned, and thankfully had a much better experience with another designer!
Natalia M. Sylvester recently posted..Shiny and New! Look!
Hi Natalia! Thanks for stopping by and sharing your story. Wow… I really like the look of your new blog and I love the name! You would have been one of my favorite clients
Not only does the same type of design appeal to both of us, it sounds like you really attempted to communicate with your first designer — it’s too bad she dropped the ball. Honesty and communication. Sounds like such a simple thing to do, doesn’t it?
I’m amazed at how much your recent post dovetails with what I wrote about. Great synergy — I recommend that my friends and visitors pop over to your site for look!
Great meeting you!
Theresa
Thanks, Theresa! I was thinking the same thing—I would’ve loved to work with you, too! Thanks also for sharing my blog post on Twitter. Glad to have found your site!
Natalia M. Sylvester recently posted..Shiny and New! Look!
As a manufacturer, I often find myself conducting retail price comparisons for my customers. I stood one time in the aisle of a large regional building materials retailer recording prices for items comparable to mine when a department manager approached. I explained that I was gathering prices for a project on which I was working. He replied, “No, you’re with one of those Indianapolis marketing firms, spying on us again.” He asked me to leave and escorted me to the door. Wow! They must have had a bad experience recently.
Tip: When gathering information about your competitor through a third party, don’t inconvenience or exasperate that party. Learn about your competition in a more subtle manner. As Theresa advises, simply buy the product and examine in private.
PS. After several fortunate turns of event, this retailer became a multi-million dollar customer of mine. I guess I got the last laugh.
This is a great story Ron! Your experience at the retailer definitely qualifies as a negative experience in my book. I know you would never treat a potential customer the way you were treated. The department manager really jumped to conclusions (and was rather paranoid, wouldn’t you say?)
I wonder… when the retailer became a customer of yours, did you share this story with them? Does the department manager you “ran into” still work for the retailer and have you talked with him?
On thing is for sure. Now that they are clients of yours, they are on the receiving end of your talent as an entrepreneur. The research you do on behalf of your clients is invaluable. Way to go! And congratulations on turning that retailer into a client! You can laugh all the way to the bank… and, something tells me they remembered you. They are obviously impressed with you now.
Thanks very much for your comment.
~Theresa
No, I haven’t mentioned this story to the corporate buyer, but you’re right, he should hear it. I’ll tell the story next chance I get.
Thanks for your reply.
Ron
I’d love to hear his response. It’s a good story and will be great for a conversation starter if nothing else! Also, it will be an excellent opportunity for you to illustrate the incredible service you provide to your clients.
~Theresa