The quality of service we provide to our clients and customers is intrinsically and inseparably related to our marketing efforts.
Of course, we all need to invest continuous and regular time in marketing our businesses in order to stay in business.
However, this article looks at how a strong client service orientation must underly and support all of our business marketing activities.
Shopify defines marketing as “the practice of creating interest in a product or service and convincing potential customers to buy it.”
Convincing potential customers to buy what we are offering doesn’t happen if we provide poor service or are rude to our customers.
People who treat others with respect and consideration are the type of people we all want to have as our clients, and these people most definitely won’t put up with a lack of respect or consideration from others.
In fact, giving poor service is the fastest way to guarantee that a business will never obtain a purchase from a person ever again.
We all remember how a business treats us, and if someone or something burns us, we are smart enough to avoid getting burnt again.
I’m always amazed at how often businesses aren’t careful with the staff they employ to answer phone calls or to handle in person enquiries from people. Just the other day I phoned a hospitality venue and was treated like an annoying inconvenience for asking a question that couldn’t be answered by the business’ website. I won’t be contacting this particular venue to make a booking again.
On the other hand, if a business treats us with respect, courtesy and compassion (especially under difficult circumstances or when something has gone wrong), we’ll always happily come back.
A strong service ethos goes such a long way, and it goes an even longer way when a client has something difficult going on in their life that other people don’t know about.
After all, every single human being on the planet is always dealing with some kind of shit, it’s just the depth that varies. Sometimes the shit is just a shallow puddle, and at other times we are up to our eyeballs in it.
Demonstrating a clear wish to serve and treating clients with respect, courtesy and compassion will not only result in a sale on the day, it will cultivate a relationship with clients because they will notice if they are treated like a human being or not, especially when they feel like they are drowning in problems.
As a result, a strong service ethos is absolutely critical in developing long term relationships and repeat business.
Interestingly, while providing absolutely cutting edge service to your clients is the best and cheapest way to achieve a competitive edge over the long haul, many businesses aren’t doing this.
This is awesome news for those of us who are.
It’s also important to note that no one expects a business owner or their staff to be perfect. On the contrary, all human beings are learning constantly, and no one stops making mistakes, no matter how old they are or how distinguished their achievements might be.
It’s a simple matter of simply being honest about any mistakes, apologising for them, and doing everything that can be done to make amends for them.
Humanity is so beautifully forgiving.
As Maya Angelou puts it:
Maya’s quote is true in both business and in life. And the best thing is, providing exceptional client service has so many advantages for a business, including:
1. Amazing long term brand loyalty
As touched on earlier, businesses that demonstrate a strong service ethos on a reliable basis achieve phenomenal brand loyalty.
They have a competitive edge that endures despite the usual ups and downs of the economic cycle. They enjoy trusting and positive relationships with clients and customers, who preference their business over others.
Clients and customers of course do this out of simple self interest, because we all want to buy from businesses that we can rely on to treat us well, rather than risk being treated poorly elsewhere.
Not only does this kind of genuine brand loyalty save advertising and promotion costs, it also of course increases profit through repeat business from long term customers.
The old saying, “Reputation is everything,” is just so true.
2. Referrals
A strong service orientation also generates a formidable network of referred business.
If we are given poor service by a business, most of us keep our opinions to ourselves. But if we are treated well, we enthusiastically share the love far and wide.
Human beings are social creatures and every single one of us has a personal and professional network. If we find a business that serves us well, we have an innate need to share the information we have and to recommend this resource to others. As Wayne Elsey states in the Forbes article Why You Must Treat Every Client As The Single Most Important Customer, “The best business referral comes from your customers.”
Word of mouth advertising is of course the best form of free advertising there is, and spending less on advertising is always good for our bottom line.
Profitability is also increased organically and easily by customers that have already been primed about a business through a referral. These customers really are a gift from God.
I’m so grateful to have been on the receiving end of this generosity in my business. One of my best clients recently referred me to another great client, and they’ve also referred me to a great prospect who my business is highly aligned with and who is highly likely to become a fabulous client in the future.
3. Additional opportunities for profitability
Demonstrating an unwavering commitment to providing good service also opens up other opportunities for businesses.
I’ve seen this in a number of businesses that I’ve worked with, where additional services or products have been created directly due to a business’ desire to serve its clients better.
In some cases, these products and services are now those that the business is in greatest demand for.
Such new products and services of course also increase business profitability, and in turn further build brand loyalty and repeat business.
In summary, strong client service is a win for everyone. It makes business owners feel good and clients feel good. It creates positive and profitable business environments, and helps make a more positive and prosperous world.
© Annemaree Jensen