Marie Curie. “One never notices what has been done; one can only see what remains to be done.” [Motivational Quotes of the Day]
Members who are permaculture design consultants or grow for the farmers market, those extras you do for clients rarely get recognized. That's because most clients don't know you've done good deeds for them.
I use the word clients rather than customers. A client is someone you serve, adapt your business to, and have a relationship beyond the transaction. Customers tend to be consumers only, not relationship based.
When Going Above And Beyond Is A Natural Part of Business
A client is valuable enough to go out of your way to serve. It's important to keep the successes of your clients in front of them. Too often your better deeds are forgotten when an account gets in a bind.
Good deeds are the bit extra, like using holistic stewardship managing your land. Clients aren't going to understand this if you don't communicate it with them. From choice of methodology to how you manage, what you consider necessary typical clients won't understand.
It is true. You can do a bit extra for the majority of your clients, then they wander off to another provider. This is because clients have short memories about the value you contribute beyond their purchase.
Even Repeat Clients Don't Remember What You've Done For Them
Let's assume it is nothing personal to forget what you did for a client last week. After all they have busy lives, many distractions, and live unfulfilled lives. The value you deliver isn't obvious to someone who believes themselves to be this busy.
It is your communications strategy that will overcome this challenge. The message you convey to clients matters. Use some of the following strategies to remind clients how great you are:
- Feature them in marketing (with permission of course.) Share your best clients successes in your prospect newsletter, information flyers, and presentations you do about your growing. Make the happy client a feature in all communications because others listening may want to do the same.
- Give them credit for their success. Even when you did all the work, it was the clients idea to hire you. For their good decision, give them credit. Complement the healthy dish, give them credit for selecting your quality products. Giving credit elevates a clients emotional connection to what made the success possible.
- Thank them for their ideas to improve your product. You may be too close to your production to see where it can improve. That's why thankfulness is the first response for any client feedback, but tell them why you are thankful. This will demonstrate you've heard them.
- Tell them about the ideas you've implemented on their behalf. If you make an improvement to your delivery, service, or a new product offering, then tell the client why this matters to them. Simply announcing that you grow “turnips” doesn't increase the desire for “turnips.”
- Relive positive interactions by sharing them as stories. When your client tells you about their success, bring it up in future conversations. Don't simply wait till they are leaving to remind them about “that time when.” If in an appropriate way or time, you'll bring back the emotions of that story.
- Provide a return on investment analysis to quantify client successes. If what you grow improves the clients health, then say so. Everything that gives your client a return on their effort needs to be clearly spelled out in your communications. Most of the time they don't do the math or measure.
- EDITOR: Clients appreciate knowing they made a good decision. When you have quantifiable facts about their benefit, then it reinforces that decision with a high level of credibility. — John
- Define and package results in a way clients can easily identify them. Make it clear why you bundle certain services, or even run community sponsored agriculture (CSA) programs in you region. You know far more than the client can invest time. Spell out the details in simple terms.
- Share client success stories. When your client says a word of thanks, be sure to ask a few questions. The details of their success are inspirational to other clients and prospects. A simple case study can help you community your value in their success.
These good deeds are critical to building business relationships. Many clients don't know what you've done them, and for others these extras are expected. It's not that they don't care, it's the nature of client and consumerism in general.
It Doesn't Matter How Good You Do Something If The Client Doesn't Know How Much It Benefits Them
Regular and clear communications is necessary for clients to connect with the value you provide. They may not know why your growing is pesticide and herbicide free. Using compost, recycling organic waste or vermicomposting, may be unusual to many clients initially.
There is so much about what you do (even know) that clients won't believe it. That's why regular communications is necessary to educate, inform, and empower your client. It is as important to the prosperity of your homestead as the environmental factors.
You would be right to recognize client loyalty as part of what makes your financial environment good. Yet the relationships you'll build with these methods improve your social, security, and recreational environment too.
IF YOU'RE THE CLIENT: Hiring a designer, or buying from a local farmer that does these things is smart because they appreciate your patronage. These tips are clues that the producer is going above and beyond what is necessary. Support them.
