Client Relations

“Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.” This quote from Bill Gates features well the importance of always continuing to have the end user/buyer in mind. Every day, whether it is with clients, with your boss, or with your friends, it is easier to learn from failures and difficult situations than outright success.

Putting clients at a place of ease is not an effortless task. This is such an important burden in all walks of professional life. For service providers, product based companies, salespeople, product development managers, everyone. Making sure that the customers’ wants and needs are at the forefront of every action is crucial to keeping them happy.

The first quote that comes to mind when thinking about a happy client is, “the customer is always right.” Definitely this is not true. While the client has wants and needs that most likely can be filled by your company’s offering, you are the expert in that field, not the customer. If someone wants shoes that will last during a long hike, but is only gauging quality based on looks, it is the job of the salesperson to explain the pros and cons of different characteristics and provide a best recommendation.

The tricky part is allowing for these conversations. In the service sales world, it is crucial that multiple touch points and deep conversations lead to a full understanding by the seller of the clients needs, and a wholesome idea from the client of the sellers needs. Easier said than done.

Developing the time and place to have these discussions takes time and effort. Marketing must work to deliver the company’s message to the selected audience so that salespeople can have the opportunity to speak with them and have a basic understanding of their situation. It is then the job of the company to make sure the salesperson is informed and well prepared. Whether a Dick’s Sporting goods or conference room 8 of GM’s supply chain department, the seller must be ready and comfortable in responding to the clients needs.  

For everyone else behind the scenes, they must have the strategic long term mindset of putting the customer first. Continuing to ask themselves, “how does this action benefit the customer?” It ranges from checking the quality of supply, keeping clean invoicing, and making sure clients are aware of new product offerings. Instilling and keeping this strategic mindset develops the culture needed to stay competitive and make lasting relationships with clients, providing a basis for success in almost any endeavor.

What does your company do to keep the client’s needs at the forefront?