Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/68013
BUSINESS SIDE You and your employees must never lose sight of the fact that developing a new client is a costly and difficult job. Once a stranger crosses your threshold, a major part of your overall marketing program must be centered on ways to make sure that he or she never has reason to leave you for a competitor. What problems are most likely to cause clients to default to a competitor? Crawford offers these six potential pitfalls: • Not knowing your clients and their needs. • Treating clients like numbers. • Lack of client communications to keep them engaged. • Inadequate client service. • Failing to show up for scheduled services. • Not addressing client issues/ concerns in a timely fashion. 4. SET YOUR PRACTICE APART America's most successful entrepreneurs, big or small, are those who have carefully developed a unique identity. Your job is to evaluate your strengths and then combine them to form a unique identity—an identifiable image for you and your practice. Perhaps you've been in business longer than your nearest competitors. Or maybe you or your employees have the kind of skills, technical know- how, and desire that will allow a client to feel that working with you will always be a satisfying and rewarding experience. Or perhaps you have a long and impressive list of satisfied clients. Whatever your marketable strengths, you should write them all down, study them, and then determine how to separate yourself from your competitors—how to motivate potential clients to seek you out, and how to make existing clients feel fortunate to have access to your services. Once you've sold yourself and your employees on why you are the best choice for clients who require the utmost in dependability and professionalism, you must focus your marketing efforts on ways to promote this image to both clients and prospects. 5. NEVER BREAK A PROMISE Arguably, there is no easier way to permanently alienate a client than breaking a promise. "Keeping your promises is a vital part of solid client relations," Simmons says. "For example, when you set up an appointment for a client, you've made a promise. Now, you must do everything you possibly can to fulfill that promise—to be available on time and ready to go." Surveys show that broken promises are always among the most prominent reasons why clients abandon a business. You probably know from your own experience just how frustrating it can be when a business breaks a promise to you. Should you find yourself in a position of having to break a promise, any promise, always contact the client as soon as you learn about the problem. An early explanation and a sincere apology will go a long way toward easing the client's frustration. "Keeping your promises is a vital part of solid client relations." Christopher Simmons, president of Neotrope 6. GO THE EXTRA MILE You may not have thought about it this way, but a complaint from a client can actually be turned into a valuable asset. Some years ago, a major retail marketing study revealed that clients whose complaints were satisfactorily resolved became better clients of the company than they were before the incident that triggered the complaint. Some of the most successful companies in the world have been built on a foundation that revolves around the principle that customer complaints provide a valuable opportunity to build the business. When L.L. Bean, founder of one of the world's most successful catalog order firms, was just starting out, he suffered what could have been a disastrous setback. Shortly after he began shipping his first waterproof, handmade boots, complaints that the boots leaked started coming in from customers. Determined to fulfill his promise of complete satisfaction, Bean returned the full purchase price to every customer. Then, he set out to correct the flaw in the boot's design. That was the beginning of the customer loyalty that helped to make L.L. Bean what it is today. Sometimes, satisfying a complaint, especially from a difficult client, calls for measures you may feel are unreasonable. When that happens, think of the cost in time and money as an investment in your future. consultant and corporate executive who writes on business and financial topics for a number of consumer and trade publications. His latest book, Money: How to Make the Most of What You've Got, is available through bookstores. You can reach Lynott at wlynott@ cs.com or www.blynott.com. William J. Lynott is a former management visit massageandbodywork.com to access your digital magazine 27