How To Impress A New Client
Gaining new clients when you run a B2B service business is crucial. No matter what it is you do, without a constant flow of new clients, you’re not going to be doing it for long. You might be fantastic at finding prospects, and you might be brilliant at turning prospects into clients, but if you’re not so great at keeping hold of them and ensuring they accept your quotes and spread the good word about your business, it’s all going to fall apart.
One of the key ways to ensure your new clients become regular clients is to impress them. The more you can do to impress, the more they’ll be loyal to you, knowing that you’re going to keep going above and beyond to keep them happy. With that in mind, here are some of the things you can do to ensure you impress a new client and persuade them to keep spending.
Good Communication
No one, from your clients to your employees, is going to be impressed if there’s no communication happening in your business, or if there is communication, but it’s not very good and isn’t helpful in any way. If you don’t keep people up to date about their orders or the work you’re doing for them, then they’re just never going to know where they stand with you, and they’re certainly not going to feel as though you’re treating them very well. They might - and probably will - look elsewhere for whatever service you’re providing because they might not feel they can work with you due to your lack of communication.
Good communication, on the other hand, can turn all this around and, importantly, impress your new clients. When you communicate well, your clients will know precisely what to expect, and they’ll know you’re thinking of them and their order with you. That’s important as it shows you’re on top of things and you’re doing your best to get the work done.
Even if you make a mistake (which happens) or the job is delayed in some way (that definitely happens), good communication can prevent the situation from becoming one you can’t fix. If you let your clients know what’s happening and manage their expectations well, even delays and mistakes don’t have to mean the end of the world.
What’s fantastic about this idea is that you can communicate in a wide range of different ways. You could phone someone, but if you or they prefer a different option, you can text, email, use social media, use a chatbot, or even video call. By tailoring your communication to your client, they’ll certainly be impressed.
Show You’re An Expert
Gaining a new client is something that takes time and effort, and you’ll have certain processes and systems in place to ensure that you can tell them everything about your business that they’ll need to know. You’ll also, ideally, let them see that you’re an expert in your field, perhaps by giving them a detailed explanation about what you can do for them if they were to choose you and accept your quote.
The problem is that once you’ve gained that client, this showcasing of your expertise can quickly fall to the wayside, and you’ll be so caught up in doing the work that you forget to keep proving you know what to do.
It’s true that your work should speak for itself in a lot of cases, but there’s certainly no harm in going the extra mile, especially when you have competition that your client might decide to start using if they find you’re not what they thought you were. That’s why it’s so important to show you’re an expert as much as possible so they can stay sure they’ve made the right choice.
One way to do this is to write a blog that proves you know what you’re talking about, and then make sure you point your clients in the right direction so they read it and see that you’ve got plenty of knowledge. Or you could start a YouTube channel where you make explainer videos; again, this shows you definitely know what you’re talking about, but it’s also useful information for your clients (and potential clients) to use themselves.
Answering questions is also crucial. If you’re asked a question by a client, getting back to them with the correct information in a timely manner is paramount as it proves you know the answer and that you’re willing to help. Of course, you might have all the answers, but finding a good resource such as the BuildOps glossary can be hugely useful.
Provide Value From The Start
Perhaps you made a fantastic presentation, and your client was impressed by it and what you said. They loved what you promised you’d be able to do for them, and they signed on the dotted line. Now you need to provide the same value you promised and presented in everything you do, otherwise you’re not going to impress anymore, even if you do a great job.
Remember, being impressive means doing more than is expected, and certainly never doing less. So if you got the client by offering a certain level of value, that’s the level you need to keep working at, no matter what (and potentially even more than that if you can).
One of the best ways to show that you’re definitely adding value is to find a small problem and come up with a solution right away. Not only does that show you’re looking out for any issues, but it also shows how quick-thinking you are and how competent you are too. It sets the tone for the work you’re going to do and therefore needs to be impressive.
Be Flexible
What was it the client wanted at the start of the project? That’s one thing, and it’s the thing you based your quote, timeline, and workforce on, but that might not be the thing that the client wants halfway through the project. It might not be what they want at the end.
What we mean is that things change, and your client might come up with some new ideas they want you to work on and incorporate into the project - they might even want you to start over again. Or maybe it’s you who’ve come up with some new ideas, which you’ve realized might work better once you’ve already started on the work.
In either case, being flexible is crucial, and it’s always going to be impressive. We’re not saying that you have to accept every change or that you can’t charge more or extend deadilnes and so on, but we are saying that it can be wise to be as flexible as possible as long as it doesn’t cause you financial damage or stress. You don’t want a client to think they can walk all over you, but you also need to do what you can to accommodate them; come up with your own limits so you’re happy, but be flexible where you can as that will impress everyone.
Set Realistic Expectations
You might think that setting impressive expectations for your customers is going to, well, impress them, but if you can’t bring those expectations to life, all you’re going to do is disappoint.
That’s why it’s far better to set realistic expectations. They’ll still be impressive, but they’ll also be easier to adhere to, plus if you do happen to get things finished more quickly or under budget and so on, your clients will be even more impressed than before. Under-promising and over-delivering is far better than the alternative.
- 5 views