Your customer has money and you want it.
You have a service or product for sale and your customer wants that.
Somewhere between those two is a seemingly delicate balance of who delivers what and for how much money. I say a “seemingly” delicate balance because in truth there’s only one way to intelligently run your business. And when I say “intelligently” I mean with more knowledge than, say, a jar of mayonnaise.
When your client gives you money, you have a choice of what you do with it and what you give him in exchange.
The four types of business exchange
- Someone gives you money for a product or service and you take it and run. That’s called theft.
- Someone gives you money and you do a lousy job for them. That’s called being half-ass.
- Someone gives you money and you do exactly what you say you’ll do. That’s called fair exchange.
- Someone gives you money and you do exactly what you say, and then a little bit extra. That’s called securing your future.
For real business people and people who believe in ethics, options 1 and 2 aren’t options. They’re unethical business practice and could possibly land you in jail and/or with a black-eye and missing teeth. I don’t recommend this route. Unless you just happen to be a fan of cramped spaces and general disfigurement.
Option 3, just delivering what was expected, is certainly fair. It’s also excruciatingly average. I don’t recommend this route either.
Option 4, going that little bit further, is the only way to go.
How to deliver beyond expectations
- Do it faster. Your client is expecting the project in six days. Extra: Finish it in three.
- Give them more stuff. Your job is to deliver a horse to your client’s stable. Extra: Throw in the rope or a free bag of feed.
- Educate them. Your client wants a website, so design the website and then show him proof of its valid code, or how the contact form works. Or write him a tutorial on how to use the site on his own. Or give him free site maintenance for a month.
- Extra service. Your client is expecting five logo samples to choose from. Extra: Give him ten.
- Great communication. Your client is expecting an answer to his emails within 24 hours. Extra: Write him back in 5 minutes. If people in general were better at communicating, I wouldn’t list this as an extra. Nowadays, believe me, it is. Fast, open and clear communication is extraordinary. The “I’ll get around to it” attitude is the prevalent viewpoint on emails.
There are other ways, but you get the idea.
And can you imagine if you did a combination of these methods? Pandemonium. In a good way.
But doesn’t this break the bank?
Not at all. The point is not to give away so many extras that you break even on every project. The point is to be extraordinary, and that doesn’t necessarily take money. Sometimes all it takes is great communication to do the trick.
And besides, if your idea of great exchange is to supply only the barest of minimums you’re not really cut out for business. Every stellar business success has been built on a foundation of delivering above and beyond.
And if the extras you choose to employ do take money, you’re still in fine shape because you can deduct the costs from your income as a business expense. That means it’s a wash and costs you a grand total of zero cents.
Don’t look for ways to cut down your service to your clients. Cheap businesses do this and it makes them look even cheaper.
Everybody can be average. Which is exactly why you shouldn’t.
5 Comments
Charlie,
I love #5—it is becoming a real distinguishing mark. That’s the easiest, cheapest route to being seen as a true professional. Glad you included it even though it should be the norm.
#4: Extra service, yes. just not that extra.
I will bet you never give ten comps, or even ten concepts. Designer suicide-by-meeting!
Client: “We’d like the red from this one, and the cloud from this one, and the glow from that one, and the type from the other. Can’t you just mash all that together?”
You are preaching to the choir on this one. Great post.
Regards,
Kelly
Hey Kelly -
You’re so right. Good communication is so rare for me to find now, both in clients and other professionals. When I find someone who’s got it, I latch on like some parasite. You seem to have it. Chartrand and Harry (MwP) have it.
Actually…most of my clients have great communication skills. That’s why I pick them over the other ones that seem a bit less willing. There’s something we call an “annoyance tax” or “pain in the ass tax” too. Ability to communicate certainly is part of that!
Rock on, Kelly! Good to see you again.
Charlie,
I don’t get over here enough but the last two posts are super!
It’s funny because I just had a long rant session with myself (yes, I talk to myself) about people doing the bare minimum – in business, relationships, life…and it ticks me off. There used to be a day where people took pride in what they did and go the extra mile but this is rare today. Maybe I am just OCD or anal but it torques me that some people’s views are get the most for the least.
Anyhow – keep the great thoughts coming!
James -
Ain’t that the truth! Our world moves so fast now and it seems a lot of pleasure has gone out of really servicing your customers well.
McDonalds designs their seats and tables for maximum discomfort so people will eat and get out. It’s all about client turnover and squeezing pennies out of every minute of the day. I guess I can understand that, as some companies depend on billions of transactions a day.
Sort of a shame. But by the same token, it helps those business people who actually seem to care how their customers are doing. They appear to be from some other realm where people have names like Frodo and there’s magic in the air.
Glad to see you here, James. Take care.
Charlie,
Completely off-topic. Please come out and play! I’m (passing a chain letter on to you) tagging you for a meme. Though technically I could have tagged 24 folks as three people tagged me, I felt that world was a bit small (or else how did I get tagged 3x?) and I’ve only tagged three people whose work I really love reading and who will all be about as surprised as you are right now.
If you’re game…
http://maximumcustomerexperience.typepad.com/mce/2008/05/you-definitely.html
See you there!
Regards,
Kelly