Monday, July 09, 2007

How Good Clients Are Lost

At the moment I am meant to be working on a video about how to build a web site that will attract good clients. Everything has been thrown out of kilter because a piece of software I ordered three weeks ago hasn’t arrived.

Can someone explain to me how it can take three weeks to send a disc 250 miles? When I ordered it I explained that I needed it urgently and was prepared to go and fetch it, but they knew better and insisted that it would be with me in a week. I am a good client of this supplier but they let me down consistently and I can’t find anyone else who produces the software that they produce.

This is a typical instance of a small company where the driving force, the founder, works IN the business too much and doesn’t spend enough time working ON the business to make it function well.

It is always easy in a small business to get wrapped up in what you’re doing and take your eye off the effect that you are having on your clients.

The problem starts well before you even open for business. Ask yourself this question: “why did you decide to start a business like yours?” The answer is probably something along the lines of: “because it’s something I enjoy doing.” And that is the trap, you spend your time doing the things you enjoy. Well, why shouldn’t you? It is your business after all.

Yes, but it’s a business and the only way it will thrive and survive is if you find, win and retain good clients.

Somehow you have to find both the time and the inclination to spend time thinking like your good clients and talking to them. They are the life blood of your business – value them and treat them like your best friends.

Coming up in my video series are movies about how to attract good clients and how to sell to them with confidence and conviction. I am pressing ahead with the selling video because I can’t complete the movie scheduled for release this week.

I hope you’ll enjoy How To Win Good Clients by Selling With Confidence and Conviction. It is a subject very dear to my heart because when I started out I was really bad at selling. It scared the pants off me. But now I really enjoy the challenge. The turning point was when I learned how to make myself more confident. I’ll tell you more about how I did that in my next article.
At the moment I am meant to be working on a video about how to build a web site that will attract good clients. Everything has been thrown out of kilter because a piece of software I ordered three weeks ago hasn’t arrived.

Can someone explain to me how it can take three weeks to send a disc 250 miles? When I ordered it I explained that I needed it urgently and was prepared to go and fetch it, but they knew better and insisted that it would be with me in a week. I am a good client of this supplier but they let me down consistently and I can’t find anyone else who produces the software that they produce.

This is a typical instance of a small company where the driving force, the founder, works IN the business too much and doesn’t spend enough time working ON the business to make it function well.

It is always easy in a small business to get wrapped up in what you’re doing and take your eye off the effect that you are having on your clients.

The problem starts well before you even open for business. Ask yourself this question: “why did you decide to start a business like yours?” The answer is probably something along the lines of: “because it’s something I enjoy doing.” And that is the trap, you spend your time doing the things you enjoy. Well, why shouldn’t you? It is your business after all.

Yes, but it’s a business and the only way it will thrive and survive is if you find, win and retain good clients.

Somehow you have to find both the time and the inclination to spend time thinking like your good clients and talking to them. They are the life blood of your business – value them and treat them like your best friends.

Coming up in my video series are movies about how to attract good clients and how to sell to them with confidence and conviction. I am pressing ahead with the selling video because I can’t complete the movie scheduled for release this week.

I hope you’ll enjoy How To Win Good Clients by Selling With Confidence and Conviction. It is a subject very dear to my heart because when I started out I was really bad at selling. It scared the pants off me. But now I really enjoy the challenge. The turning point was when I learned how to make myself more confident. I’ll tell you more about how I did that in my next article.