Delight your customers and keep em coming!

Customer service is the unglamorous but surprisingly fun side of marketing. Promotion gets you customers. Service lets you keep their loyalty and their money. These tips come from my new ebook, Delight Your Customers and the Money Will Follow.

1. Be on time for appointments. If youre late, offer compensatory time.

Seems basic, doesnt it? Youd be surprised.

2. Review your clients files before each appointment.

"Youre the one who needs marketing plan. Oops! I thought you were the resume client. Whats this stuff about Mountains of Joy -- oh, your slogan! Maybe I can help you write a new one. You say I wrote that slogan? Uh, please dont hang up. Please! I can explain!"

3. Manage expectations.

Your clients sales are down.
You say, "Youve got a me-too product in a saturated market."
Or you say, "Your negative thoughts are driving away customers."
Both statements may be accurate. Before you process that credit card, make sure your client knows which one is likely to come from you.

4. Clarify your fee structure.

Does "monthly retainer" mean youll send one-line answers to two emails between sessions? Will you read the resume ahead of time? If you resent spending time between sessions, dont be coy. Charge in six-minute segments and pretend youre a lawyer.

5. No surprises on the bill, please!

You decide the client needs an extra ebook from your catalog or an extra section on his resume. "I knew youd want me to do this," you say. "Thatll be an extra twenty dollars." Huh? Thatll be the end of our relationship.

6. Delight your clients with gifts, surprises, and extras.

You think your loyal client could benefit from reading a section of your ebook or attending your next teleclass? Make it a gift Sure, you could say, "For only twenty bucks, its a deal," or even, "Ill give you a fifty percent discount."
Forego the ten bucks. Give your client a reason to stick around and spend a thousand.
Upscale clients expect gifts. Their hotels give three chocolates on the pillow.

7. Client conversion is not what you think.

You may respect your clients choice to worship at the deli on Sunday mornings, but what if your client is devoutly skeptical about the Law of Attraction? If you want clients who share your values, share yours upfront.

8. If Tony Soprano becomes your client, dont be surprised if he borrows your car.

Be wary of clients who seem very different from your other clients: they move a lot faster or slower, they raise issues youve never dealt with, they argue, they astonish you.
Understand how these differences might affect your ability to deliver. Their anger might surprise you even more.

9. Metaphors can be poison. Use plain English to make your promises.

You promised to help your client "take her business to the next level." Will you get her there with a marketing plan, a set of confidence-building exercises, a recommendation for clutter-clearing or a non-stop cheering section of one? Promise youll "run alongside while shes learning to ride a bike" and shell wish shed taken a taxi.

10. When you make a mistake, offer compensation.

Airlines can offer you a piece of the airport floor when they strand you at midnight between Boise and Billings. They have frequent flyer plans. Brilliant recovery strategies can actually deepen loyalty. Offer refunds, extra sessions, products, and gifts.

If youve created a disaster, offer to pay for a few sessions with a colleague who can offer the client a new creation or a new lease on life. Dont wait for the client to ask. He might have his lawyer make the call.

Learn how Cathy can help your new business get off the ground smoothly, without losing your house, family or sanity.

About the Author

Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D., a coach, writer and speaker, focuses on helping people make their move to career freedom. Her website is movinglady.com

cathy@movinglady.com
http://www.movinglady.com