I hate marketing. It takes time away from doing the sexy and interesting stuff, it can be soul destroying when we seem not to be getting anywhere and those prospects that we do get to talk to don’t see why they should hire a specialist because they cost too much and well, they can do the job themselves anyway.
And on top of that, it’s scary. Especially for shy and retiring types like me. The prospect of cold calling chills me to the bone.
I’ve picked up a good customer base over the years through a combination of mailshots and networking and I make every effort to hold on to them. Here’s a few basic rules for doing this:
- Rule one of customer service (in fact the only rule of customer service), create expectations and exceed them. So always deliver on time, and when you can, early. There is no excuse for not doing this. When life gets in the way and things do go wrong, you must communicate with your client. No-one likes being kept in the dark. And often you have more time than you think because the real deadline is further away than you’ve been told. Just pick up the phone and have the conversation.
- Deliver quality, the best you call, all the time. Sounds obvious doesn’t it? Have you you never been tempted to cut a corner or two. “Oh, that’ll do”, “I’ll make it up next time”, the best way to lose a client’s trust is to do it gradually. A big howler can often be forgiven, 5 mediocre jobs might not be. So it’s the best you can be and do, always.
- Be nice to them and don’t treat them like a pay cheque waiting to happen. This means being interested in them and building a relationship with them. You don’t have to become best buddies but let’s face it, we do business with people we like.
- Admit to your mistakes. No-one (not even you) is perfect. We all have bad days from time to time. Admitting to it and learning from the mistakes you made will drastically reduce the chances of it happening again. Failing to own up will only make things worse.
- When your client is wrong, stand your ground. I had one last year that radically changed the text of a marketing brochure I’d translated (marketing agencies, always think they know better!). The modified text was riddled with errors. I wrote back listing them all and why they were wrong. They paid up.
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