Give the Gift of Truly Caring About Your Customers

Over the past few weeks I have been seeking something to give my best clients as a token of my appreciation. The holidays come once a year and are a great opportunity to give to, rather than ask from, our paying customers.

Having decided against cookie bouquets or those squeezie toys that look like computers, I thought about what I could do or say personally that would actually mean something to my clients. I tried to think of gestures or remarks that demonstrate to my customer “I truly care about you and your business.”

I finally settled on exactly that. I called each of my important contacts and left a sincere, personal voice message telling them I really care and thanking them for their business and their friendship over the months/years.

Surprising to me was my clients’ response in a busy holiday season: Many actually called me back and expressed to me things I hadn’t heard before from them, things like their appreciation for helping them in their business, my personal service and other kind remarks. A nice gift for me!

For customer-facing professionals, there’s no better feeling than delivering a solution that really improves the well-being of a customer and being paid a decent wage for it. When you truly believe that your products and services can help people better themselves, their co-workers and employers, you end up doing better yourself. Similar in concept to my recent post on “Business Karma”, really caring for your customers pays dividends beyond the financial. It actually helps you prospect better and enjoy your job.

So don’t forget to show you care through word and deed. You may be re-inspired by reciprocal affirmations which may turn out to be your best executive gifts of the season.

Getting to VITO in the downturn

In the good times it was quite difficult to reach VITO (Very Important Top Officer). Seemed he, or she, was always so very busy.

So what’s his excuse now?

Unfortunately VITO’s even busier now. He’s lost the people he used to delegate to. Downsizing has given him two or three more jobs to do, with less budget and more time pressure than ever. So why should he talk with you?

This is our challenge: how do we make ourselves and our offerings relevant in this environment?

First, review your value proposition. What you are offering should be directly impactful in the short term to VITO’s bottom line. Really cool technology with a two year return scenario just won’t get anyone’s attention when they’re worried about making their quarterlies. The only kind of messages that are heard are ones that will lift revenue or reduce cost in the near term.

Next, research research research. Calls and meetings with decision makers must be well-researched and show you have paid the price of admission. Focus on quality and demonstrate you have done your homework.

Touch early and often. You need 8-10 touches, calls email, webinars, etc. to raise your visibility and become a viable resource. Don’t nag, but stay in front. Look for events and announcements that give you an inroad to problem solving.

Be more productive. Sales cycles are extending and budgets are being cut. Use social networking and online technologies that are quite good at cutting pursuit time. Broaden your focus to include more prospects.

Become your customer’s conscience. He is overwhelmed and needs to get things done. Show him he can rely on you to come through, efficiently, with targeted solutions for his problems.

Let VITO know you’ve got his back.

3 Top Questions For Good Business Karma

I recently found myself on the receiving end of a pitch from a potential ‘referral-friend’ at a coffee shop and, though I liked the guys, they spent very little time getting to know me, instantly relegating them in my mind to “Vendor I Know” rather than a trusted advisor whom I would feel comfortable sending to my clients. They even sparked up some slides (Uh…more coffee please!?)

In fairness, they were new to networking and the “give-and-give” of modern business relationship-building. They just went at it as if they had a lot of information to spew and little time to spew it in.

Most successful executives understand the value of “karmatic goodness”. They tend to have highly evolved empathic skills and seek out ways to help others in business. Thus they are generally more successful than those who merely seek out opportunity. (Ironically, opportunists wind up with fewer opportunities.)

Before (or preferably, instead of) launching into a pitch, here are three good questions you should ask potential referral partners:

1: “How exactly do you provide value to your customers?”

2. “Who (title, company type) is your ideal target customer?”

3. “How can I help you?”

To step it up a notch, come up with one prospect/lead for the person and help make a meeting happen. Though it may feel funny at first to help business people when “they’ve never done anything for you”, but rest assured, more likely than not they will eagerly reciprocate if they know what’s good for them. Conversely, you are almost guaranteed a wasted meeting if you trust that just because someone knows who you are they will refer leads to you.

Nothing builds a relationship faster than true service coupled with energetic follow-through. Make serving others your number one priority and you will find karma to be very kind to your business.