“There is only one boss-the customer. And he can fire everybody in the company from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else.”
~Sam Walton, Founder of Wal-Mart
With the challenges we have all experienced and to a large degree are still experiencing getting clients through our doors, we must not forget the basics on how to treat them-we need them!
There is no more critical time that right now to get our ducks in a row on how to love and care for our clients and KEEP THEM!
I've written 4 areas to concentrate on this week. They are basic, but in the chaotic past few months, it is easy to forget them.
Let's all get back to being excellent in every area.
ONE: Answer your phone or reply to email inquiries and texts as quickly as possible when a prospect or client reaches out to you. And once contact is made, make sure that person, whether it is you or a staff member, is personable, ready to have a conversation and represents your business very well.
If a message is left, return the call or text as quickly as possible. It shows disrespect when messages are ignored or not answered promptly and you will lose clients over it.
TWO: Be reliable...don't make promises you can't keep! Another way to say it is, "UNDER promise and OVER deliver." If you say, “Your portraits will be complete on Tuesday, make sure they are READY on Tuesday or even better, earlier than Tuesday. Otherwise, don't say it. If you are going to surprise a client, make sure it's a pleasant surprise!
THREE: Though you may not get complaints often, when you do, deal with them quickly. No one likes hearing complaints, and many of us have developed a reflex shrug, saying, "You can't please all the people all the time." Make sure that you face complaints head on and don’t ignore them! Handling a complaint in the proper way often results in a stronger business to client relationship and a loyal “evangelist” who will bring you future business.
FOUR: Be helpful, even if there is no profit in it. BE KIND...TO EVERYONE...EVERYDAY. Find ways to help in your community. We teach a basic photo class to our clients at no charge once or twice a year so they can take better snapshots and of course, Tim takes this opportunity to share his passion for photography!
We invite the manager of the local camera store to come and meet with the class and ask them to bring their cameras and questions for him. How better to tell your community that you care? It has been a smashing success and we have booked several sessions on the spot by being the “expert” in the community and by our willingness to share.
Here is a great book I read about loving, respecting and appreciating your clients. It is called Hug your Customers by Jack Mitchell.
You can have the best products in the world, but if you treat your clients badly, who will even come to see what you have to offer?
We are dependent on our clients who allow us to do what we LOVE...photography!
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