Spring into a New Client Base

It may finally be Spring. Here’s hoping, we in the Northeast, will not see any snow again for months!

Spring is a great time to review your client base. We have had a few experiences recently through clients and ourselves that speak to various approaches around this topic. And not all have been positive experiences.

A client’s car had a flat tire as they needed to drive out of town for a jobsite. The local dealer in his new town was uncaring and said they could take him in a week! A week?! Any small business owner knows that won’t work. So, he had the car towed back to his old city, about 80 miles away. Not only did they take him next day but did not charge him for the new tire! Now, that is client service at its best! We were shocked the local dealer in his new city did not seize the opportunity to bring in a new client that had relocated. Maybe they don’t need new customers? It was surely a bad approach with a lasting negative impression.

For a totally opposite experience, we refer to a few of our recent experiences. We had a vendor make room for us when we could not make the original time and it was literally a same day situation. Then we had a client offer to pay for our mileage to take them to a meeting and pick up a large state project check. Both of these experiences inspired loyalty and appreciation.

And, lastly, this example of a new client treating their consultant with respect and sincerity by signing them up for direct deposit and offering to pay biweekly as if they were a direct employee. Understanding the challenges of a sole proprietor, they wanted to make sure the new consultant felt comfortable and part of the team. This has worked out well for them and may mean a lot more work for them in the future.

So, as the seasons change, make sure you evaluate how you treat clients and prospective clients. First impressions only happen once, make them count!

Be well.