Ep102: Unintended Consequences

Are there any places in your business where you are falling short of expectations? You might be surprised. There are elements of service and care that, when present, make little impact. Yet when they are absent, they can make all the difference in how clients feel about you and your business. Miss them, and you might be telling clients not to return.

Why is that important for business?

It’s important to do periodic audits of the customer or client experience – are there any ways you are communicating the message that you care only until they’ve signed on the dotted line or paid the invoice? Are there ways you are telling your most precious asset – your existing client base – that you are going to squeeze every single dollar from them that you possibly can?

This can be especially apparent when we try to make expense cuts. By adding a new line item to your invoice – one of the few documents you can be sure every client will scrutinize – you might be conveying a message that doesn’t make the client feel like remaining a client. There are much better ways to cut expenses than to take away from any “big moment” – driving the car off the lot, for instance – in your business relationship.

This takes a certain degree of anticipating what your customers or clients will care about. As entrepreneurs, though, we often miss opportunities to simply ask. If you’re struggling with something -if you aren’t on the same page with them about exactly what they want or need or how to structure something for them - then you haven’t asked enough questions. Much like our episode Just Say… That (https://soheresmystory.com/ep07-just-say-that/), there are times when you are overthinking and need to Just Ask…THAT.

And in those times when asking doesn’t work, you need to put yourself in the customer experience path and examine where the pain points are in the process of engaging you. (You can check out this Harvard Review article for more ideas on how to smooth the path your clients take to work with you: https://bit.ly/2Wcvfc5). There are probably a few easy wins that you could foil with a small misstep, if you aren’t careful. This requires a lot of noticing, being aware of, and tending to the client experience.

There are many opportunities to make people feel thought of. Missing them can mean missing out on the next $70k sale.

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