By Jernavis Draughn
Why do we never hear from clients after they buy our products or use our services? Well, I think we should break down the definitions customer vs client. The dictionary says a customer can be a person or organization that buys goods or services from an entity like a store or business. A client can be a person or organization that uses the professional advice or services of a lawyer, accountant, advertising agency, architect, etc. This sometimes means a client is also someone who leans on you for advice. A client confides in you because of the relationship you have developed. Based on the trust and the value you have provided to the client, there should be many transactions between you and the client.
If you’re in the transaction business, you have customers. If you’re in the relationship business, you have clients. That is the primary difference between a customer and a client. With clients you are focused on building an emotional connection. Your effort centers around taking the time to fully understand their needs and wants in this relationship. After being in business for over 7 years, I have learned you have to approach and treat every client as if they are your only client! There is a great quote by Grant Cardone that says, “Over commit and over deliver.” In business we tend to under deliver, because we haven’t committed to providing the best service or products to our customers.
In the book “Getting Everything You Can Out Of All You’ve Got”, by Jay Abraham provides interesting statistics regarding unhappy clients from a study done by the Research Institute of America for the White House Office of Consumer Affairs.
- The average business will hear nothing from ninety six percent of unhappy clients who experience rude or discourteous treatment.
- Ninety percent of clients who are dissatisfied with the service they receive will not come back or buy again.
- And to make matters worse, each of those unhappy clients will tell his or her experience to at least nine other people.
- Of the clients who complain, up to 70 percent will do business with the organization again if their complaint is resolved. That figure goes up to 95 percent if the client feels the problem was resolved quickly.
In conclusion, here are three reasons why clients STOP buying your products or using your services:
- Something totally unrelated to you happened in their life or business that caused them to temporarily stop dealing with you.
- They had a problem or an unsatisfying last purchase experience with you that they probably didn’t even tell you about.
- Their situation has changed to the point where they no longer can benefit from your product or service.
Quote of The Day: “Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.”-Bill Gates