This might be the easiest post I’ve ever written. How to create insanely loyal clients who continually refer you new business? Simple: treat them the way you would want to be treated if you were the client. Oversimplification? Nope.
I had a business coach once who encouraged me to create very strict boundaries with clients. After all, I have a small business with limited resources, I can only do so much given the time I have, right? He suggested things like charging extra for phone calls, requests for support, or anything that falls the slightest bit outside scope–scope that is carefully outlined in the project agreement and to be followed to the letter. He wanted me to double my profit margin and limit my service offerings.
At first, his advice seemed to make sense because I was a bit weary at the time, and every now and then a client would come along who seemed to take advantage (although this had been the extreme exception). He was the coach and knew best, right? Not really.
I didn’t go into business for the same reasons he did. I couldn’t bring myself to do much of what he advised. Why? Because I care about my clients too much to nit-pick every phone call and request for support. Because at the end of the day, if they’re not happy, I’m not happy–and if I’m not happy, why am I doing this?
To be fair, I learned a few valuable things from my former coach. I learned there’s nothing wrong with charging for the time, experience, and value I bring. I learned that if a client needs to pay less for my services than I charge, they’re not my client–and that’s okay. As a business woman (who really didn’t come from a business background), I initially just wanted to save the online world through good design, thoughtful strategy, and usability. Whether or not I was actually compensated for my time was secondary–but that’s a recipe for burnout (and poverty). Thankfully, I overcame that years ago, and realized that time away from my family in which I’m providing professional services to clients is worthy of compensation–period. But that’s another post.
This post? Well it’s about taking care of those precious clients, remember? It’s about making them feel like they’re the most important client you’ve ever had–because they are. It’s about never taking them for granted, and not being too busy for them when they have questions–which means being responsible enough to not take on more at one time than I can handle (so I actually have the time it takes to nurture their needs). And it’s about celebrating their success and wanting them to reach their goals (and doing everything I possibly can to help them establish a foundation that supports that).
When you take care of your clients like this, they naturally want to tell everyone they know about you when they need the service you provide.
There’s a part of this equation that makes the difference between success and frustration though. It’s having a solid understanding of who your client should be. If you take the time to define this in detail, you’ll save yourself a ton of grief down the road. If you’re not sure, this post, and this post will help. You’ll never be able to please everyone, and if you accept every client that crosses your path, you’ll find it impossible to make them happy.
When you make sure you know specifically who your client should be, then you also understand which potential clients aren’t a good fit, and you can refer them to someone who can better serve their needs. When you know your client–you know how to take care of them in a way that makes the work you do a pleasure (for you and for them).
Here’s a few specific things you can do to create insanely loyal clients:
- Provide a detailed document (you can do this in your agreement) that outlines the service you’ll provide for them and then go above and beyond by as much as you can.
- The obvious: provide the best service you possibly can from start to finish (and beyond).
- Answer every question they ask by email or phone within the same day. If you don’t know the answer, let them know you’ll find out and get back to them (and by when). And don’t forget to get back to them (I use an email flagging system and my calendar to help me with this).
- Speak to your clients in their own language. If you offer technical services like I do, your client’s are hiring you because that’s not their area of expertise–so don’t speak to them in a way that makes them feel they should know what you know. They don’t (and they shouldn’t have to), so train yourself to describe your services in terms anyone can understand.
- When the project is complete, share it with your network to help promote your client’s business just like you would if it was your own. Make sharing their stuff a regular part of your social media strategy. I like to write a blog post when we launch a clients new website, and later on I’ll write others featuring all the cool things they’re doing (my clients are always doing cool, inspiring, share-worthy things!). Sometimes I do an interview post and ask them specific questions to help my network get to know them, be inspired by them, and have special access to their offerings. Just always remember to celebrate their success–just like it’s your own (because in a way it is, since you became a part of their team when they hired you).
- Provide support for at least 30 days (60 is better) after your service is complete at no extra charge. Make sure you’ve communicated your hourly rate so they know to expect invoicing past that point and there are no surprises–you can outline this in your initial agreement.
- Send your clients an after project survey to ask them how they feel about the service you provided, and what you could have done better (and then change and/or improve your process based on the feedback).
- Ask clients for referrals (it’s good to keep this thought in front of them–but they’ll do it anyway if you take good care of them :). In all liklihood, they know at least three people who could seriously benefit from what you have to offer.
- When you get referrals from your clients, thank them! Maybe it’s a thank you card, or better, a gift card to their favorite restaurant or cash–just make sure they can feel your appreciation in a tangible way.
- Ask clients for testimonials (and put them on your website and share them on social media–and remember to link back to your clients website).
- Follow up with your clients regularly just to check in and ask them how they’re doing, if they have questions about the service you provided for them, or need any additional support. Let them know you’ve not forgotten them, and they won’t forget about you.
- Create special offerings and services just for your existing and former clients that might want extra support after your initial service offering is complete.
- During the holiday season, I like to buy several of my client’s books, products, or services and give them to all my other clients (here’s post about how I do it). It helps my clients by letting them know I support what they’re doing and I’m excited enough about it to buy it and share it with my other clients. It also introduces my clients to each other, allowing them to get to know and network with one another, and share each others work with their networks in turn.
I don’t market my business. I don’t cold-call potential clients. I’m not a sales person–and I don’t have one on my team. Yes, I’m active on social media, but that’s about building relationships, not marketing. Once in a while, I might place a badge or write an article on a website that attracts my ideal client’s just for increased visibility. But, I’m not about building an empire, scaling my business, or franchising or licensing my offerings. I’m about the love of what I do for the people I choose to serve, and because of that, the business just always comes–sometimes more than we can handle at once. I’m grateful beyond description because I get to do what I love for people I really care about–and it’s so Much FUN. Seriously–pinch me!
If you want, you can build your business in the exact same way. If you focus on what matters to you and those you choose to serve, I promise you’ll have more business than you know what to do with. It’s a blessing that comes with a willingness to put your own skin in the game right along with your clients–and it’s beyond worth it.
Did I miss anything? How do you create a loyal base of clients who refer you business on a regular basis? Add your ideas to my list because there’s no way I covered everything. I know you have great ideas–so please share them below!
P.S. If you enjoyed this post, you’ll love 4 Ways to Give New Life to Those Dusty Old Blog Posts!
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