Social Media. It is EVERYWHERE. Sites that do just about everything, from Facebook to Linkedin and on and on and on, there is no limit to posting comments, likes, photos and blogs....etc.
We do a great deal of work hoping to produce positive assessments, especially from clients. It does not matter if they are B2B clients, or if they are direct clients like we see if the real estate industry.
On top of this is the ability for clients to incessantly evaluate YOU, your company and your reputation. Sites like YELP have clients clamoring for info on you before they even meet you. To further complicate matters, the younger generation is even more tech savvy and assesses lower value to face to face encounters or meetings.
Now, consider the ONE thing that is missing - imagine being able to evaluate your clients and vendors. Publicly. Openly and with totally brutal honesty. Would it impact how clients transact if they had a negative or multiple negative comments about them on a popular site?
In the begnning...
Most companys and individual producers (particularly high producing ones) have some format to trap client info about the transaction you have completed or not completed with them. We use surveys, questionnaires, focus groups and many other vehicles to get some semblence of client satisfaction or lack thereof.
We clamor for recommendations, likes, and of course, referrals.
Most anyone who has been in business for more than one year, has examples of clients who were not "low cost". These clients are the ones who are time consuming, asking endless and even redundant questions, rarely or never satisfied.
I have a nickname for these clients - the "high cost" client. I am not referring to financial costs, per se. These are the clients who feel entitled to your service and top flight insight and time. They call at all hours, multiple times, over weekends, often send emails over the tiniest minuitia.
There is a strong disconnect from the client regarding how high their cost is, and how much of your time they are entitled to.
Changing a culture...
What would a client do if they found out that a company that they recently transacted with had a negative assessment? Take a look at almost any company that is on yelp, and see if they have negative comments. Even just one. Now consider what the client would do if we publicly said, "joe is difficult to deal with.....endless questions and a feeling that he could call any time, and constantly compare our fee or rate with other online rates. I would NEVER transact with Joe again!"
I read a post like the above one just this morning on Yelp. It was for a large realtor firm in Silicon Valley. I have worked with some of the agents in the office, and called one for input on the comment. This client had a reputation throughout the office, and no one wanted to deal with the client. They were able to successfully close, but several agents remarked about the client and their mood of entitlement.
Have you had a similar experience? Where, you worked extra hard for a client and thought to yourself, "I am working really hard for this client and hope they will appreciate/recommend me?" Only to find out later that they were not satisfied, even asking you to remove them from future marketing email, etc.
What was your mood when this negative assessment was revealed? Did you feel appreciated, or did you want to react in some way?
Ceating a jointly Beneficial Way to Transact.....
There is room to remove this breakdown with some conversation at the very beginning of any transaction.
Start by being a grown up, where you clearly outline what you offer and your expectations if you work your promise to a successful conclusion. We teach our kids to "use their words," and we need to walk the talk ourselves.
When we specify our expectations and detail our promise, we must engage the client in a way that they feel that they can share their satisfaction or dissatisfaction throughout the transaction.
The next step is ask the client what their vision of a positive transaction looks like. This is a vital piece of the deal - we have to understand what the client considers to be a successful encounter, and what it takes from their perspective to produce a positive public commentary.
When we outline what works well for both parties, we are far more likely to produce the result we each are looking for.
Easier said than done, of course. Setting clear expectations for both parties is a roadmap to sucess throughout the transaction. There is little or no grey area or wiggle room, and we then simply perform to whatever you are promising. Easy, right?
What are your experiences with this? Have any clients that turned your hair a little more grey? Found yourself muttering under your breath? Share your insight here, and please comment with any recommendations or ideas.
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