Today, client satisfaction is more important than it ever has been. We’ve all heard and most of us have embraced the adage that the client is always right, but there are still people in business out there that don’t seem to get it. This is not to say that a layman should head into the operating room and stand beside the surgeon exclaiming that they would do things differently, but there is a level to which we should expect satisfaction with a given service. There are too many people, full of pride, that would prefer not to embrace this principle.
How such a simple concept escapes a business owner is a mystery. One would figure that happy customers would be at the top of their list of desires, yet it isn’t. Certainly, this isn’t the norm. Many business owners recognize the importance of bending to their customers’ expectations, but there are too many who don’t. There is too much foolish pride in the business community these days and everyone wants to be hailed as an expert.
Knowing What’s Best and Conveying
It’s very easy for a business owner to simply expect a customer or client to defer to them; to follow every lick of advice or simply be satisfied with substandard practices. This is especially prevalent in the business to business world, especially in social media.Typically, social media managers have put a lot of effort into perfecting their formula and in most cases, it has been a hard-fought battle to obtain that information.
Many business owners are quite sensitive about the services they’re providing to another business, and rightfully so. No one wants to be told that they are less than sufficient when it comes to providing a service. Think about it, does a hair stylist want to hear that the haircut they’ve given you makes you want to cry? Probably not. That would cause quite a negative reaction, especially if you consider that they’ve done what you wanted them to do and the real culprit is nothing more than your reaction to change.
Think about that analogy in terms of a business to business service, such as social media. If you create a customized strategy for a client, a local business, and they declare that they hate it, what kind of reaction are you going to have as a business owner? It’s probably not going to be pretty and the unfortunate truth is that most clients aren’t very forthcoming with an alternative plan or reasoning for the hatred. This is where business gets dicey.
All too often, we expect people to accept our advice as though its gospel and that they don’t have a choice, but we need to register the idea that they’re allowed to not like something. When you’re a business owner providing a service to another business, we have to consider the fact that your thoughts are not always going to align. However, we still need to do whatever we can to make sure that client is as happy as possible with our service. Degrading the client or being hurt by their criticism isn’t an option. It’s not personal. It’s business.
If, as a customer in a business to consumer setting, you wanted to return a sweater because you put it on and it fell apart, you would expect to be able to return the said sweater. Of course, there are stipulations that surround that return, but the cashier or manager at Macy’s isn’t going to tell you, “you’re stupid” or reject your business because their product was faulty. B2B providers need to think the same way.
The client is your number one priority in this business setting. They have to be. They’re the bread and butter of your own business; they sign your paychecks. They’re also allowing you to handle their baby, the business they’ve worked tirelessly to build. This is an important relationship, so it needs to be treated with kid gloves. Don’t lose your mind over the aspect of their dissatisfaction, simply regroup and adapt. After all, the client is always right.
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