It’s time for me to eat some humble pie here you guys… and rightly so.
I was working on this article re: “taking care of your best clients” as it seems like a bit of a hot topic lately. How are you taking care of your clients “after the sale”? After they’ve purchased whatever program/product you are selling.
As I was writing this article I found out that I haven’t been taking care of my own best clients as much as I should have been (and thankfully one of my clients was willing to step up and share her frustration with me). We had some stuff fall through the cracks that simply should not have happened.
As the saying goes, we sometimes teach what we most need to learn ourselves – so very very true in this case.
And yet I’ve heard this rumbling a bit out there lately and wanted to address it – some people are feeling let down after they’ve made a purchase. Especially when it comes to people who are investing in higher end coaching, consulting or mentorship programs – the people who are *your best clients.*
Feels like there is so much focus out there on how to find clients – how to market and make sales. But do you truly know how to take care of your clients once they’ve said yes? We don’t talk about this as much as we could (or should) and yet it is SOOOO very important.
(As an OBM or VA you can have a big effect here too – how can you help take care of your client’s best clients?)
Here are my favorite ways to ensure that we are taking care of our *best* clients:
1) Have someone on the team designated as a Client Concierge
There is a key difference between having someone do customer service vs. having someone be a client concierge. Customer service is simply responding to questions/issues as they pop up – it’s a reactive role. A client concierge is someone whose key focus is making sure customers feel taken care of – who is proactively reaching out to clients to ensure they got what they purchased and are happy.
This is as simple as a quick email saying “hey, just wanted to make sure you received your book” to having someone give a personal welcome phone call to a new client. VERY important to do for any high end coaching/mentorship programs – that personal touch goes a long long way especially when people have invested a tidy sum in a program. Make sure your client concierge is in touch with your best clients on a regular basis – sending them reminders of calls, booking coaching sessions as needed, checking in to make sure all is well, etc. Proactively reach out to and keep in touch with the clients who are paying you the most.
Your Client Concierge could be a VA, OBM or other player on your team, so long as they truly enjoy and get what it means to put clients first.
2) Give what you promised AND look for ways to give more
I’m not a big fan of the idea “underpromise and overdeliver” – why would we underpromise in the first place? Instead, promise something of value, deliver it and THEN look for ways that you can go beyond what was promised and wow your clients. People LOVE getting unexpected bonuses – and implementing this simple tip could turn a one-time customer into a long-term raving fan.
How can you give more than expected? A few ideas:
- Give people another one of your products/offerings at no charge – especially nice as a post-purchase surprise right on the confirmation page.
- Give them a really good discount on other products/programs – 50% or more for preferred/VIP clients
- Give them a personal phone call just to say “hi” or to see how you can help them further. (Different from your client concierge – a call coming from YOU would be a delight.)
- Send them a nice tangible gift in the mail – something non-business related. Could be a treat (who doesn’t love chocolates?), spa gift certificate or even a book. I got a box of books from one of my mentors when I joined his program and loved it!
- Feature them in your ezine or blog – with permission of course. Can’t beat getting some extra exposure!
3) Ensure that your systems are set up to *immediately* deliver a purchase
I tell ya, there is nothing more annoying than making a purchase and getting a message that “you will get X sent to you within 3 days” or something like that. Meaning that they are manually going to send me my stuff. In today’s day and age there simply is NO reason not to be able to give people instant access to whatever it is they have purchased. The systems and tools that we have available to us make this very affordable and doable.
So if you have any kind of online membership, product, ebook, program, class, series, etc… be sure that you have the proper systems in place to give people access right away. Even if you are selling a tangible product that requires shipping time, look to give them access to a virtual/online version right away if possible. (And make sure you have a system set up to automate the shipping process too.)
4) Last but not least… CARE!
How are you showing that you care about your best clients? I know that I think about my clients often, wonder how they are doing if I haven’t heard from them in a while – send them virtual-hugs if I know they are in the middle of a big challenge. But they may not always *know* that I’m thinking about them if I don’t actually reach out.
Feel free to break the rules here a bit. Even if your program doesn’t officially *include* certain things – like having a call with someone – how about giving them a call when you know they have a big day coming up. If you haven’t heard from someone in a while check in with them to see how they are doing.
I know for me, when I FEEL that my coach cares and is thinking of me it can give me a real boost… and in this journey of business that can be a really valuable gift. 🙂
What is your favorite thing to do to show your clients that you care? What have you received from someone that made a big difference?