Intro by Skip Cohen
This blog post by Bob Coates got me thinking about so many different things all of you should be doing in business, especially in the way you interact with your clients. It also reminded me of a great quote: by Roger Staubach:
“There are no traffic jams along the extra mile!”
Think about your interactions with your clients. When was the last time you went that extra mile?
For example, your greatest marketing tool today is relationship building. So, why not pick up the phone and call one of your favorite past customers – you don’t need to be selling anything, just check in on them and find out what’s new in their lives.
David Ziser, on the first anniversary of a wedding client, would call the bride and wish her Happy Anniversary and then offer to do a free portrait sitting of the couple. Imagine how that bride is going to spread the word with her friends. And, remember the younger the bride the more friends she has who will be getting married!
The other night Sheila and I were out to dinner at one of our favorite restaurants here in Sarasota. The waiter heard us talking about what we felt like for dinner, and when the entrées came out he brought us a taste of one of the dishes we didn’t order. He made that extra effort to make our dinner was special.
Now, kick back for thirty minutes and think about things you can do to take your services to a higher level. Photography is a word-of-mouth business and you want your clients talking about you and telling their friends about the experience.
By Bob Coates
“Hey! What does your bill say??!! I’m not sure I read mine correctly…”
That was the cry when our checks were presented. Smiles passed from face to face around the table as each person read the message in the presentation folder…….
Have a great night…
You could feel spirits lift as everyone tried to figure out what was going on. We had requested separate checks. So we each got one. Even the person who had taken the waiter aside and asked to pick up the tab had an extra smile on his face because of all the laughter washing around the table.
The smooth move by our waiter cost him only the time to jot the extra notes and pass out the fraudulent checks to the group.
Which begs this question… What small thing can you do that would delight your clients in a big way that would have them sharing YOUR story?? As evidenced by this savvy server you don’t have to give away the store to bring a smile to your customers.
