I went to a doctor once who was highly recommended. One of the best in the area, I was told. When I got to his office and went up to the desk, I was handed a clipboard and asked for my insurance card.
No greeting. No smile. No eye contact.
I said something to her. Probably something like, “Would it hurt to say good morning?” Because that’s how I roll.
When I saw the doctor, he lectured me about not being abusive to his staff.
Guess what? I didn’t stay with that doctor. It didn’t matter how good he was at his job, I didn’t like him.
So there.
The question is, do your clients like you?
It’s not difficult to get clients to like you, even if you lean towards the grouchy side. But you can’t phone it in. You do have to make some effort.
Start by avoiding things that clients DON’T like:
- Don’t make them wait. If their appointment is at 2 PM, 2:01 is late.
- Don’t take phone calls when the client is in your office. That goes double if you bill by the hour.
- Don’t brag. Clients want to know you’re good at what you do, they don’t want to hear you go on about it.
- Don’t curse or use inappropriate humor.
- Don’t delay billing. Don’t send vague bills. Don’t nickel and dime on costs.
- Don’t fail to keep them informed about their case.
- Don’t fail to call back when they leave a message.
There, that wasn’t hard was it? Pretty basic stuff.
Now a few things you should do:
- Make sure your staff makes them feel welcome. Hello, is this on?
- Smile. Firm handshake. Eye contact. Remember their name.
- Talk about your weekend, but make it something they can relate to. You took the family to the beach, great; leave out the part about the yacht.
- Show them you’re not perfect. Admit you’re a terrible cook or throw like a girl.
- Be a good listener. Ask questions and let them talk. Take notes.
- Talk about your kids and/or pets and ask about theirs.
- Send thank you notes.
Yeah, it’s about treating people like you would like to be treated.
You’ve probably hired professionals who don’t get it. If you’ve ever had to wait forty minutes after the time of your appointment, you know what I mean. (Be honest, were you tempted to leave and send them a bill for your time?)
Anyway, don’t be that guy or that gal.
How to get clients to like you (and trust you): get this
