Phew! Yesterday we finally rolled out our new corporate identity and a brand new website. We are getting serious about being client centric both in how we deal with our clients but also in the strategies we implement for them (towards THEIR clients). Our new branding depicts this vision, metaphorically.
It is unthinkable to hear anyone, in any industry, openly say “We do NOT care about our clients, we are NOT client centric”. What then makes us so excited about our new vision? How can we claim ours is for real? Most importantly, what can you learn from it? Heck, what does it even mean for the bottom line anyway?
First things first, let’s address why it makes financial sense to get serious about this. In our quest towards client devotion, we recently turned our sales process upside down: We now start by adding value and removing the barriers; closing the deal comes second. In one instance, we even conducted thorough market research –otherwise a deliverable all by itself- weeks before the prospective client’s selection process closed.
The result? Yep, we just landed a new key account. A large brand which we will be announcing soon.
The thinking goes like this: If we can demonstrate our ability to add value, then we are removing most of the client’s uncertainty to engage in a long term partnership. We also engrain ourselves in their business head-on so by the time they have to choose a service provider, we have already hit the ground running. Not to mention the symbolic implication, “we are devoted to our clients and we will put our money where our mouths are”.
It certainly carries a risk. But, come to think about it, hiring a new vendor ALWAYS carries a risk. We are just transferring it from the client, back to ourselves.
A word of advice, though: Be strategic about removing barriers. Show you care and prove your skills, yet don’t devaluate your offering. It has to make business sense for your client to hire you but also for yourself to be hired.
OK, so being client-centric does add to your bottom line. Now the tricky part, how to make sure it translates from words into actions? Furthermore, how to ensure it happens by design and not by coincidence?
Well, for starters, make sure you measure it. In our case, we established key performance indicators (KPI) to watch our clients’ satisfaction. We even monitor how proactively we add value above and beyond a project’s scope. Make it clear inside your organisation that these practices are here to stay and will be taken seriously. It is not just pep talk, it is a business strategy.
Also, revise your business processes. For instance, our project management methodology has been modified to spend more time understanding the client’s needs and situation. We have even constituted a periodic –and complimentary– analysis of our clients’ success. Everyone says “our clients’ success is our success”… we take it a step further. We help analyse their performance (e.g. online sales) and issue actual recommendations to continuously improve. Yes, some of these will bring us more work, but in many cases we will give advice that does not translate into an immediate benefit for us. We are betting on the long term.
This brings us to the last recommendation: Being client-centric is about building long lasting relationships not about up selling in disguise. While you must have a strategic plan to translate all this into business value, you must not do it just to make a quick buck. Clients will quickly distinguish between a true partnership and a load of empty marketing spin.
We would love to hear your story, what are you doing to become client-centric?