There are a few touchstones in businesses that can make a massive difference in how we present ourselves to others. For example, a clean workspace will remind us that efficiency and organization are critical to how we conduct business within our four walls. The real problem is that we seldom look outwards. Of course, looking outwards is key to how we build up any form of a successful business. The client should always come first, especially in a B2B setting. What are the best ways that we can remind ourselves of these critical components?
Knowing the Worst-Case Scenarios
Many businesses operate with a firefighting approach. When a problem arises, we take care of it, but we don’t address the underlying cause. This is a very myopic approach to conducting business. When it comes to working with clients, you’ve got to ensure their needs are met rather than merely answering a complaint they have made. There are many significant ways we can do this. But arguably, one of the best is education.
Ensuring that our employees understand, not just how to conduct the roles, but also the detrimental impact of not having the legalities in place, such as commercial liability insurance, will help employees to conduct themselves better. Employees are in place to do a specific role, but the notion of big-picture thinking is crucial to giving employees motivation and also helps them understand what could happen in the worst-case scenario.
Understanding the Client
We build our decisions around customers and therefore we don’t understand who our customers are; we need to use the buyer persona to help us step in the right direction. It demands a subtle blend of psychology and sales. When we understand who we are selling to or who we are trying to please, we can get under their skin and into their brains. We must understand who they are and what they need.
This means we can then find the right things to help them reach their goals but it also goes beyond this, it can help you to craft a greater communication strategy; when we understand our customers we can help them to make better decisions for them. Rather than thinking about ourselves, we’ve got to recognize the importance of supporting the other person. There is a sense of self-preservation we need to maintain as a business, but these stem from making sure our employees are happy and motivated through the relevant perks.
If we can show clients that we value the respect we give to them to do what they need, it can send that subject that they should treat us with the same respect. Business is not about how we profit individually, but about how we can nurture a client better.
If they are someone that’s happy to take us to the cleaners and use us for all we are worth, this is why we’ve got to decide if that client is actually worth our while. In many aspects of business, it’s about the profit they generate, but we must remember that a good working relationship is hard to come by in business. If we can show them that we have a glimmer of humanity rather than just pursuing profit this can make a massive difference in how they perceive us.
Shaping Your Mission
You need to change your approach if you want to embed a customer-first strategy. One of the biggest U-turns we can make is to rebrand and this can make a big difference in how our clients perceive. Many companies launch new missions and this could be the perfect opportunity to hit the reset button.
It’s not just about how you are promoting yourself, but about showing clients that you have a whole new dedication and mindset to serve your clients and to help them achieve their goals. Reframing your mission can prove tough, but this is why redrafting your business plan will help in the long run.
When you have a new mission, you’ve got to make sure that the employees that have stuck with you for so long understand how they can best serve clients’ needs from here on out.
Understanding that the client comes first is not an easy thing to come to terms with. As businesses, we can be inherently selfish but we must recognize that in order to benefit ourselves, we have to benefit others. It’s time that we stepped away from this insular attitude to doing business and recognizing that the client always has, and always will, come first.