Business owners and managers are often confronted with being
able to differentiate between obtaining customers, as opposed to maintaining
and servicing clients. Basically, a customer is someone who purchases
something, or uses some service, without commitment or serious consideration of
maintaining any type of serious commitment or allegiance.
On the other hand, a client generally feels a greater
kinship and connection, and therefore, often becomes the type of word-of-mouth
ambassador, who is usually one's greatest source of referrals and references.
Great management realises how important it is, to transform customers to
clients, in order to become sustainable and profitable.
Whether a product or a service is being offered, clients
become repeat customers, and this conversion process eases the process of
constantly searching, spending time, money and other resources, because the
lifetime revenue per client, is significantly greater than per customer. Here
is a mnemonic approach to developing CLIENTS.
1. Change your focus; create a
bond; truly care: Wouldn't it make sense to spend far more
time servicing and satisfying happy clients, than constantly needing to obtain
disposable customers? This requires changing your focus and approach, and
caring enough to create a connection or bond, that develops a loyalty from your clientele!
2. Learn about them; let them
know/understand you care about them: Customers will not become clients, merely
because you intend to do so! Rather, the process requires a consistent approach,
where you effectively listen, and serve their needs, addressing their
priorities and concerns. You must communicate and articulate your message, in a
way that comforts and connects!
3. Integrity; ideas; integral: You can't
fake it, but rather your integrity must be absolute! How will your ideas
benefit others? Why should others feel, your business, etc, is integral, and
important, for them?
4. Energise; earn respect; empathy: Others
become energised and enthusiastic, when you proceed with a high degree of
inspiration energy. Don't merely do anything, but do so, with empathy and
caring! Don't expect, but rather earn their respect!
5. Needs-oriented; develop a niche: A
great manager learns from the successes and/or failures of other, similar
organisations. However, no business should aim to merely become a mirror-image,
or carbon-copy of another, but rather should develop, communicate and
articulate its specific niche, and do so effectively, and with a purpose that
attracts others, to want to do business with you. This may be factors such as:
individual/personal service; quality; selection; options, etc.
6. Treatment; take care; timeliness: Ask
yourself if you are treating those you do business with, the way you'd want to
be treated? Do you take the time, and make the effort, to create an optimal
experience? How timely and relevant are your products, efforts, and/or
services?
7. Satisfy; strengthen; solve: What will
you do, to not only provide some service, or sell some product, in order to
create a higher/better level of quality and satisfaction? How can you make your
company, etc., stronger and more relevant? Will you become a major component in
the solution, or merely an extension of the proverbial, problem?
Most companies fail to differentiate between customers and
clients, at least until, it become dangerously late, or crisis-ready! Will you
make them your CLIENTS?
By Richard Brody Article Source: EzineArticles.com/9254476
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