Uncovering The Truth: Do You Really Know What Your Clients Think Of You?

“Every contact we have with a customer influences whether or not they’ll come back. We have to be great every time or we’ll lose them.”

Kevin Stirtz

Your client interactions are critical moments that can significantly impact their perception of you and your business. 

Radical amounts of consistency in providing an inspirational experience are crucial, as each interaction shapes their overall viewpoint and influences their decision to keep coming back for more of what you have or to bail on you. 

You must prioritize delivering an experience that is like none other to consistently build trust, loyalty, and repeat business. 

At this very moment, how many of you love, adore and cherish your clients?

If you answered yes, then how many of them know how you feel? 

If you answered with a puzzled look on your face, then what are you going to do about it?

In today's business climate, inspirational experiences matter. It's the experiences you're providing to your clients that has a 100% direct correlation to your sales growth and profitability.

Therefore, the experiences you think you’re delivering to your clients, does it resemble what they believe it to be?

Are you listening to the heartbeat of your current clients? If you want to understand and gauge what your clients really think of you and the experiences you're providing to them, then you must be willing to eat vulnerability for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

When's the last time you stood in your client's shoes?

When's the last time you looked at things through their eyes?

We all know that success is built upon excellent client relationships. So, why do many in sales struggle to nurture the clients they’ve already won?

How well do you truly know your clients and how well do they know you? 

Years ago, IBM published a C-level research study, based on interviews with more than 1,700 chief executive officers and leaders across the globe. The study indicated that over 70 percent of CEOs sought out a better understanding of individual customer needs. Two of their biggest challenges were learning how to engage with clients as individuals and gaining the insight to be able to do so.

Let's twist this up a bit... Imagine the outcome of the same study if those in sales management and in sales were asked the same set of questions? What would be uncovered as it pertains to their clients?

I'm going to throw it out there, I believe many in sales leadership and in sales aren’t asking enough deep questions from their best clients.

INVEST AND ENGAGE WITH YOUR CLIENTS

"To the customer, you are the company."

Shep Hyken

Think about this one... how many of you ask your clients how things are going, only to get this response, "Fine."

My challenge to you is to peel back "fine". Is this a code for “Everything is not fine, but I really don’t want to talk about it?”

I'm here to inform you that it requires work, intentionality and purpose to get to know your clients. This is what you must do to set yourself apart from all the other salespeople. 

The only way to determine your client's level of engagement is to invest in the relationship.

Relationships are a two-way street, and if your clients aren't engaged then it's up to you to find ways to make this happen.

It's not just about transactions; it's about creating meaningful connections and experiences that resonate with your clients on an emotional level.

It's all about the human heartfelt connection between you and your client. 

Highly engaged clients buy more from you, promote more of you, and demonstrate more loyalty. Providing a high-quality client experience is an important component in your engagement strategy.

Here are a few strategies to enhance client engagement and create that heartfelt connection:

1. Show Appreciation: Acknowledge and appreciate your clients for their support and loyalty. This could be as simple as sending a thank-you note, communicating gratitude, or recognizing your clients publicly for their contributions or achievements. 
2. Be Authentic: Authenticity builds trust and strengthens relationships. Be genuine in your interactions with your clients and strive to communicate openly and transparently. Avoid using sales-scripted or sales-centric language, and instead, speak from the heart. Speak like a human, not a sales robot.
3. Foster Community: Create opportunities for clients to connect with each other. Network your client network together. This may include hosting events, online forums, or social media groups where clients can share experiences, ask questions, and offer support. Building a sense of community builds trust, encourages engagement and fosters loyalty.

Invest in your clients and you'll be able to collect from your clients.

NO EXCUSES, YOU MUST GET TO KNOW YOUR CLIENTS

"He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else."

Benjamin Franklin

How well do you really understand what your largest clients expect from you? 

Imagine for a moment all that you could uncover by asking your clients the simple yet difficult question, "What is it that you really expect from me?" What you learn soon becomes pure gold. 

How many of you really understand what your clients desire? 

Not to cast a dark shadow over our time together, but how would you feel if you lost anyone of your top 5 accounts? It would suck, it would be painful, it would be horrible and guess what? It happens. 

I strongly believe it's preventable. Please, think about these two questions... How well do you really know your clients? How well do they know you?

If you truly want to get to know your clients, then you must take the sales hat off, roll up your sleeves and engage in healthy conversation.

Are you having any kind of meaningful conversations with your clients outside of the selling process?

How many meaningful relationships are you developing and building inside your current account base?

Sales professionals do not become relationally vulnerable with their clients.

It's about uncovering the conversation your client is having with themselves. In doing so, this opens honest communication as to what's really going on which provides you the opportunity to dig below the relational surface.

If your clients don't feel like they're being heard, seen and understood, they may withhold critical information as to where they really are or what they really feel about you. In turn, this may diminish or eliminate your ability to impact your future with them.

Do you know your clients as well as you think you do?

YOU THINK YOU KNOW YOUR CLIENTS

Ego rears its ugly head in sales. Let's set aside your ego, I would like for to think about your best client, (however you choose to define best client), got it... here's what I'm going to ask you to do... go face to face with your best client and ask them this...

What's the value I've been bringing to you and your business?

You can't say a word after you ask this question. Bite your lip, mums the word. 

Immediately, if your best client without hesitation can't answer this question, then I'm here to inform you that you don't know them, and they don't know you as well as you think. 

All this means, is you have some relational work to do. 

PERCEPTION IS REALITY

“Perception is reality. If you are perceived to be something, you might as well be it because that’s the truth in people’s minds.”

Steve Young

If I were to ask a sampling of your clients what they think about you, and how they feel about you, what do you think they would say? 

I believe understanding how your clients perceive you becomes critical information in establishing your strategies and relational alignment.

We live in a digital age, where everything is a Google search away. This makes what you do and the services you provide easier to find. On the flip side, your competition is easier to find as well. 

This means it’s easier for the unhappy, unsatisfied or "I'm just fine" client to leave.

Your clients all have choices. They will continue to do business with you if you genuinely care about them, are truly interested in solving their problems and have their best interest at heart.

How well are you aligned with your client's perception?

YOU MUST UNDERSTAND YOUR CLIENT'S BUSINESS

Create true, authentic and appreciative relationships by spending informal time with your clients. This will help you to understand them and their businesses in a completely different manner. In doing so, they get to know you and what makes you tick.

With all sincerity, when you get to know your clients inside and out, you can personalize the attention you give them.

True leadership is your ability to affect change and influence people inside your current accounts.

Are you inspiring your clients to do better business?

Leading with a servant mindset can indeed be a powerful approach in building long-term relationships and establishing yourself as a trusted advisor. 

When you prioritize serving others over self-interest, you cultivate trust, loyalty, and unbreakable bonds.

When you take your clients for granted, they will soon take you for granted.

How well do your clients know you?

HEART MUST BE AT THE CENTER OF YOUR RELATIONSHIPS

Are you really giving your clients what they value more effectively than your competitors?

Are you bringing your heart to the forefront to help your clients do better business?

When you lead with empathy, compassion, and sincerity, you create an environment where trust can flourish, communication can thrive, and mutual understanding can deepen.

When you sincerely and deeply understand your clients, this will open the door to more creative solutions. This becomes huge steppingstones to a synergistic and profitable partnership.

Your clients are the lifeblood to your success. No clients, no business. Lead with a servant mindset and heart. I promise this will be bring about a positive change.

Focus on their success not your success.

Do you really know what your clients think of you?

Originally published on Larry Levine's LinkedIn.