POST BY: Lauren Swann

 

(The Guest Blogging Series: While Natalie is recovering from surgery, her friends have offered to share with you their incredible content. Learn more about the author of this post at the end and be sure to leave some love.)

 

Three of the Biggest Client Experience Mistakes You Might be Making

 

If you’re in the creative industry, on the back-end of things there is a LOT going on this time of year… can’t we agree? If you’re a wedding vendor, there’s lots of booking opportunities and inquiries coming in.  If you’re an artisan or shop owner, you probably won’t even have time to read this post until after the new year, with all of your prep for the holiday season.  If you’re a business coach or educator you’re probably busy launching your last course of the year just as people are making some final purchases as tax write-offs, right?

 

Hopefully, this is also the time that you’re thinking through the things that worked well in 2017 and the things that need to be prepped and tweaked for 2018.

 

A few years ago when I was making the list of what worked and what didn’t, one of the biggest areas of inconsistency in my business seemed to be coming from client experience.  Despite having a list of things that I checked off for each client, there was still something missing. And honestly, the terrifying thing was that the consequences of these inconsistencies were in the numbers.

 

I wasn’t booking nearly as much as I would’ve liked to.  I wasn’t booking nearly as much work as my competitors were.  I wasn’t getting inquiries from clients that were dream clients!

 

After a lot of analysis in my own business, analyzing others’ businesses, and seeing the same type of questions and conversations pop up on Facebook threads, I realized that there are three mistakes that creatives are consistently making that could be harming their clients’ experiences.

 

1. NOT SETTING CLEAR EXPECTATIONS

 

Have you ever had a meeting with someone and towards the end of that meeting when you should each be receiving an action item, instead you’re left with nothing? It’s awkward, because you’re not sure what to do next… especially if the other person is the one leading the meeting and they ARE sure what to do.

 

I think that not setting clear expectations with clients kind of can feel the same way!  In any given transaction, this is not your first time.  Whether they’re booking design services, wedding floral services, etc., they’re hiring you because you’re a professional and have done this many times over.  Sometimes though, what can happen if we’re not careful, is we skip over explaining the steps that feel like second nature to us.

 

For example, I’m a wedding photographer and in my business its my goal to serve my clients in a way that makes them feel cared for and serves their priorities as a couple.  Admittedly, there are times, mostly in between their engagement session until the wedding day, where checking in on them consistently would most likely cause more stress than help.  There’s a tension that presents itself there between wanting them to feel important and valued but also not wanting to be more noise in the craziness of wedding planning!

 

So what I used to do, was just not check in.  I mean it made sense to me because I didn’t want to be another thing to check off the to-do list, but what happened instead was that my clients were left feeling less like I was there to help, and more like I was only there to be a part of the wedding itself. Tangibly, that meant I was left out of decisions effecting important things, like timelines, ceremony time, etc.

 

My solution? I spell it out!

 

Each of my clients is gifted a welcome guide that includes, on one of the first pages, a list of when they should expect to hear from me!  It could feel a little excessive to let them know about pretty much every communication, but instead what I’m doing is setting their expectations.

 

 

The best parts? 1) By laying out all communications, you can show up unexpectedly and surprise them (!!) and 2) In the spaces where you’re not as present, you’ve explained why it’s just another way you’re serving them!

 

This small detail turned reviews from my couples from saying “she was a great photographer to work with” to “she was pretty much my 11th bridesmaid!!”

 

 2. NOT REMEMBERING THAT THE CUSTOMER IS WHO YOU’RE SERVING

 

How many of us have found ourselves reading threads in Facebook groups (a choice that we should all pretty much avoid, am I right?) and seeing post after post of complaint about something a customer has done?

 

My hand is raised high!

 

Here’s the truth though, I firmly believe that the customer should always be treated like they’re right!  Even when a customer’s complaint isn’t always correct, the reality is, there’s some part in which they probably are right.  And here’s why:

 

If the customer is feeling like they’ve been wronged, it’s more times than not because you didn’t do a good job setting expectations (ahem, problem #1).

 

Some of the most common problems I’ve heard from other photographers specifically are things like:

Don’t they know that they don’t get to have RAW files?

Why are they angry that they got 100 images instead of 150? That’s too many images and I never said they would get that many!

Why don’t they know how long it takes to edit photos — asking for images back in two days is way too much to ask!

 

One of my favorite businessmen to listen to is Donald Miller on the topic of Story Brand.  His basic philosophy follows the idea that in business, the greatest thing we can do is be a part of a story in whatever area we serve.  The problem that most business owners make is that they assign themselves the role of hero while their customer is then left as the “victim.”  Instead, our customers will only feel like they’re winning when in fact they are the hero and not the victim!  Our job as business owners is actually to be the guide, teaching them the way!  So, from now on, consider yourself the Yoda to Luke Skywalker 😉

 

 

Why I’m sharing this: by blaming the customer for being wrong in a scenario, you’re making them the victim.  Instead, we need to take responsibility for not properly guiding them!

Tangibly? This looks like saying you’re sorry and owning your part of the mistake when it happens.  Get good at saying things like “I could’ve communicated that better to you, I’m sorry!”  And ultimately, it’s your goal to make the client win (not yourself!!) and so you need to do what you need to do to get there!

 

As for the questions that the photographers were getting so upset about… why not solve it by creating a frequently asked questions page on your site for clients to flip through after they’ve inquired? Then you have the chance to explain why RAW images are never released to couples or that you typically deliver 50-80 images but surprised them with 100 instead.  This is a much better way to serve your couple — to be proactive instead of reactive after the fact.

 

I highly suggest listening to this conversation from Donald Miller on his podcast about victimhood and inner local of control. It will completely solidify why you never want to place your clients in that role.

 

3.  NOT PERSONALIZING THE EXPERIENCE

 

One of the hardest things in business (in my humble opinion) is that we’re equally responsible for replicating the same experience for each client as we are for personalizing it, too!  Consistency is so important when it comes to client experience in order to give potential clients an idea of what to expect, but when we keep things entirely consistent across the board, it can feel more manufactured than caring.

 

Take for example the email templates that are a part of Natalie’s signature e-book in her shop!  They are amazing for laying out a professional approach to introducing yourself to the client, thanking them for inquiring, and more.  BUT, the key factor in this is the space she leaves to personalize it to the specific potential client that she’s talking to!

 

No one wants to feel like the response they’re receiving is exactly the same as someone else would get.  They also don’t want to feel like you forgot something that was important to them.  So if you’re going to ask a question of a potential client in their initial form, you should leave a space in your response to address it!

 

Another example? Just last week I had a phone meeting with a bride who explained how much she LOVES her pup.  He is such a big part of their lives and will be a part of their wedding day too! So, when it came time to send out her welcome gift, (the same welcome gift everyone gets — the guide we talked about in problem #1, a little treat, and a handwritten note) I simply added in a dog treat just for him.  What that did was take something that is the same for everyone else and added on little extra that made it so personalized to them!  Plus, there was a cute little tag that had his name out it too! What my bride knew in that moment was that I was listening and that I cared!

 

Those little details can make all the difference in making someone feel cared for!  Look for ways in your client experience to show up and surprise them in a way that would matter to them.  It doesn’t have to be big, or even a gift.  It can be as simple as seeing your client had their engagement party and commenting on the picture on Facebook, or sending them an email sharing how cute they looked!

 

 

 

So friends, if you’re heading into booking season or off-season, keep these things in mind.  Go ahead and look back over the last year and really dig deep.  Did I make my clients feel cared for by showing up in ways that mattered to them?  Were there times where it seemed my client was frustrated with me and I don’t know why?  Did I get a complaint that I didn’t take responsibility for?

 

These questions started me on the road to figuring out a bottleneck in my business, how to fix it, and keep my booking numbers up! Thanks for reading friends!

 

If this post was helpful to you, do you mind letting me know? You can always send me an email to lauren@laurenrswann.com if you’re looking for more information on how to tweak your client experience and turn them into raving fans that bring more business your way!

 

 

When I’m not busy running a business, you can find me day dreaming with my husband Morgan and our pup Mack.  We’re likely spending time with the people we love most OR making my crazy dreams come to life as we renovate our 1900’s farm house, #TheSwannHouse.

You can relate? Let’s hang on Instagram or in your inbox!

I’m also the self-acclaimed bestie to @NatalieFranke and just love her to pieces! Thank y’all so much for everything you’ve done to support her during her time off recovering! You guys are what makes community worth being a part of <3