Your clients are much more than money for current business. In fact, they very well may be future business as well. If you systematically provide them with more than they expected, you may develop a working relationship that continues for a lifetime. Exploring five ways to add value to your client may add a new energy to the perceptions you may have about working and improve the way customers perceive what you have to offer them.
Be A Good Listener
Listen carefully to them when they bring in their business concerns. Each business meeting should be a unique opportunity to develop a relationship. Listening to what they want and helping to provide what they need in relationship to it should be a top priority. Customers will return to you when they believe that you care about them and provide top quality help as a result of listening to their needs.
Help Solve Problem
Solve a problem for them that they did not expect. Going the extra distance to accomplish not only top quality work for the need they presented to you, but to also solve a related issue is an amazing way to make what you do for service stand out from the crowd. If you can provide one extra for each expected service, you will double company work output, but also double the appreciation most customers may feel for the work you offer.
Provide Good Information
Connect them to valuable information that will help their business thrive. Focusing on helping a new client network or find the best product solution available may go a long way toward cementing trust. Trust is a foundational element in good old fashioned business activity.
Be Yourself
Be honest about what you can and cannot do. If you believe you can provide the best solutions for them, tell them so. But also never hesitate to explain when you are not the best person for the job. Then point them to the person who is. You may lose the current work, but gain future work as a result of honesty.
Give Good Advice
Educate them for their future needs in such a way that they understand you have their best interest at heart. Pointing them to a better business future lets customers know that your expectation is to do business for the long haul. Most people appreciate the business that makes money without perceiving that money is the top priority. Making people your first concern will bring return business to you for today and tomorrow.
These five ways to add value to your client are basically tried and true business practices that have separated top quality providers from less than scrupulous businesses for generations.
