Whenever I have a commercial interaction, I try to glean a few insights into why it was enjoyable or why it was annoying. My most recent endeavor was the engagement of a contractor to make some home improvements. As my wife and I researched vendors, we heard many horror stories of dishonest contractors delivering a shoddy product or poor customer service. So far the product appears to speak for itself, and I have noticed a few things that made the service superior:
- They never bothered me. Because I work virtually, I was in the same building as the contractors, so it would have been easy for them to interrupt me to ask questions or review specifications. They never did. The only interactions I had with them were on my terms. Imagine if this were the case on a car lot? How can you avoid bothering your clients?
- They delivered a little extra. One of the contractors noticed that the felt pads on the feet of some of my kitchen chairs had worn off. Replacing them required a $5 purchase and 10 minutes of labor. This is an infinitesimal task relative to the larger project, but it made my life just a little easier at no additional charge. What extra value can you deliver to your clients?
- They simplified billing. We only met once per week to talk about money. On Fridays, I paid for what had been completed, and they told me what would be completed the following week and what the cost would be. There were no surprises. This relieved any anxiety I might have had about the financial plan for the project. How can you lessen your clients' financial concerns?
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John Scranton is an insurance agency marketing expert and vice president of StartUpSelling, Inc. which helps small businesses with lead generation, sales, marketing, website design and branding. For more information and tips from John, visit www.StartUpSelling.com, or go to his blog at http://startupselling.com/blogs/johnscranton.
