Working in marketing with clients really starts to open your eyes on a number of different avenues in the business world – thinking as a customer, thinking as a sales person and everywhere in between. There are a few things that really remain constant, and one of those things is expectation. Your customer has them, you have them, your boss has them and your boss’s boss has them and so on. With that come a few important questions:
• Do you know your customers expectations?
• Are you meeting those expectations?
• Are you able to exceed those expectations?
These are very important questions when working with a customer at a retail level, or even at a marketing level with our clients. It is imperative to know and understand what your customers are looking for – you can’t be afraid to ask questions to find out! Don’t try to guess either – that puts you at risk of not meeting those expectations. They are paying a lot of money for a certain piece, or for your service, you don’t want to let them down.
By asking the right questions, referring back to past history, confirming details you will be able to meet those customer expectations. Which is everyone’s goal, well should be anyway. I am the type of person that if my client/customer is not happy, I am not happy and I look myself in the mirror and ask myself "what can I do better?"
It is important to meet expectations, keep your customers happy, it makes the overall work better, the environment better and the interaction better. But then there is one last question – what can be done to exceed those expectation or really knock your customer off their feet? Well, that is up to the scenario and how well you understand your customer and the direction they are looking to go. You can blow them away on the service, on the finished product, a simple recommendation/suggestion, or all of the above. The options are unlimited – you just have to be willing to put in the time and effort to understand your customer. Under promise and over deliver!
It is a pretty simple concept, but one that separates you from your competition – it is the little things that add up and keep you top-of-mind to customers and clients alike! You just have to be willing to go that extra step and know your limitations.
