Not much in business should happen by accident. Especially when it comes to the experience your clients have with your organisation.

I am not talking about the technical aspect of the product or service you offer - that aspect we loosely call quality - but the way your customer experiences it.

For example, how do you know your attorney is good? Most of us don't have enough knowledge of the law to make that decision based on the advice we get, or the quality of the documents s/he provides. So we make that decision based on other factors - whether s/he returns phone calls; whether s/he is punctual; whether the offices are friendly; whether the staff behave 'professionally', and a whole bunch of other factors that have absolutely nothing to do with how skilled the attorney really is. And we make judgments about most products and services based on these same issues - and NOT based on the technical qualities.

Yet almost every business owner I know focuses almost exclusively on technical competence. So may I ask you to take a few minutes off to look at the softer issues of keeping your clients happy?

When last, if ever, did you analyse what happens to Janet when she buys your product or service? What does she experience when she calls your firm and asks for guidance? What happens when she tries to order from you? How quick is your response? How complete is your response? How long does she wait before delivery? How much do you communicate with her in this period? How does she know that you're going to live up to your promises? How does she know the service was done well? When does she get the thank-you note?

The answer is simple. You must reassure her that it's happening. Often! And you do this with both words and signs. There is an old adage about business in this country. "If you want the sale, you simply have to show up!" That's changing. I know that because - for most of us - it's getting harder and harder to get sales - which means your prospects are becoming much more discriminating.

How do you know that your hotel room has been cleaned? Yes, the bed is made up and the bins are emptied, and the towels are hanging straight. And that's the minimum you expect. But it's the tape around the toilet seat which says explicitly that the seat has been disinfected, and the small chocolate by the bedside, and the little note telling you that "Florence' took personal care of it that reassures you that all is OK. These are little measures - designed into your experience as a client of that hotel - that make you feel special. So why don't all of us design these little touches into the experience each client has when dealing with us?

We delight in mocking the so-called service the banks and other major institutions offer. But, honestly, are the experiences we offer our own clients any better?

If the point of business is to convert strangers into clients, then surely what your prospect/client thinks about your service is more important than the service itself? What are you doing to guide that thinking? What little touches can you easily add to make your client feel more special, and want to come back for more? How do your clients feel when doing business with your organisation?

© Peter Carruthers, www.petesweekly.co.za

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