Self-Employed or Employed...Who Pays You?
If you engaged your brain before putting your mouth in gear you may regret your quick, shallow answer. In a recent poll conducted, Canadian people were surveyed on the level of service they were provided by retail and online transactions. 75% of these people rated their overall experience as poor. The main complaint was little to no customer assistance (care).
Classic Client Abuse
I have to say I totally agree! I am currently sitting on hold because my internet is down for the forth time this week. It's Wednesday today "We apologize for the delay your call will be answered shortly. Did you know....". I have been on hold for 15 minutes so far and I am used to waiting 15-30 minutes to talk to someone. Wait...someone just answered, thank goodness. "Sorry oops, Mr. Smith let me transfer you to the correct department" After repeatedly following the voice prompts why do I always end up in the wrong department?
It turns out I have a bad splitter which was installed by the ISP. I have booked 2 appointments with them over the last week. Both of appointments the technician failed to call or even show up. What is happening here? I know that most of you reading this article can relate with similar circumstances. For example, the next time you are at your local Wal-Mart try and find help. Take note of the number of cashiers on duty. Hmmm, 342 people are currently shopping at my Wal-Mart (they know how many people are in each store by the minute) and 3 freaken cashiers with a 1 mile line up in each one.
So, Who Signs Your Check?
For employees that look to your boss for a paycheck that's who signs your check, I guess. For motivated team members in the workplace that advance quickly, the customer signs the paycheck! It really is that simple.
I have worked in sales and development for 30 years. In the early to mid 80's I wore out many a shoe walking door to door. I always have enjoyed meeting people and being instrumental in helping achieve my clients business goals more efficiently. Comparing yesterday to today, the face and intimate client contact is a rarity.
Imagine for a moment if you were able to see and meet every client that ever spent a dime for your great product or service. What would you say? When we email or talk on the phone to customers we draw a mental picture of their faces. Once we reach the face rendering stage it is the beginning of a relationship. From prospects to clients, having a willingness to help and solve problems will guide you in developing long term business relationships with great clients.
The basic business fundamental that has existed for eternity, "the customer comes first" stands very tall today. For business players today, learning how to communicate with a client on an intimate level is what will set you apart from the rest. The reason I say this is simple mathematics....very few are doing it!
Reach out to your clients. Make sure they know how far you are willing to go to make it work for them. After all...
