Most business owners claim with certainty they are “100% focused on the client.” While that sounds good, it’s generally not accurate. The truth is that, over time, many will make tiny sacrifices to service that they believe won’t be noticed by clients.
However, those small details generally develop into service gaps that drive clients away. This is especially true in the promotional products industry where all distributors are essentially selling the same products to the same target audience.
Here’s a truth: almost everyone does the big things well. Product gets sold at a fair price, is decorated properly, is shipped on time, and invoiced promptly. Clients generally don’t share how accurate you are decorating a hat or invoicing them quickly; those are the big things and they are expected. This is why the little things – the ones that too many are quick to dismiss as not noticed or appreciated by clients – have more value than ever.
As you look at the experience you and your staff have created, it’s important you ask yourself one question every single day: have you developed a service philosophy – one that focuses on the seemingly insignificant little things – that you could imagine paying to experience?
Little things like hand-written thank you notes, ordering a spec sample of a product that you know your client would personally love, or even sending over a few dozen doughnuts and coffee because they are up against a deadline for their client. These are the experiences that people remember and talk about for months – even years.
The big things are easy and just about everyone does them well; that’s why it’s impossible to use them as differentiators. Those seemingly insignificant little things that take more thought, time, and effort? Those are the things that hold the keys to client happiness, loyalty, and profitability.
As we begin a new year, it's time to create a client experience you would be thrilled to pay for over and over again.
Bill is president of PromoCorner, the leading digital marketing service provider to the promotional products industry, and has over 17 years working in executive leadership positions at leading promotional products distributorships. A featured speaker at numerous industry events, a serial creator of content marketing, president of the Promotional Products Association of the Mid-South (PPAMS), vice president of the Regional Association Council (RAC) board, and PromoKitchen chef, Bill has extensive experience coaching sales teams, creating successful marketing campaigns, and developing branding that resonates with a target audience. He can be reached at bill@PromoCorner.com.