Your customers have no clue what you do

26254610 Painful Fact: Your customers know much less about you than you think. Until they need it, they don’t bother to find out if you do it. And sometimes, they don’t think to ask – even then.

For example, many an agency bemoans the fact that their clients went elsewhere to have a website built or to have a speech written, simply because the client didn’t know the agency did that sort of thing. (For our clients out there…yes, we do both.)

You have to tell them. Tell them in an engaging way. Tell them in a useful way – give them something to “steal” or adapt to make their own life a little easier.  Use the dialogue to establish your expertise and your commitment to their success/well being.

  1. Are you sharing case studies with "here's what we learned" tips that your other clients can use?
  2. Are you hosting events where your customers can come together and talk about the thing they have in common – you?
  3. Do you bring samples or photos of work you've done for others to your client meetings?  Start off the conversation with a…"hey, I thought you might find some value in what we learned when we did XYZ for You Know Who."  So bring something relevant.

If they don’t know that you do it – they’ll find someone who does. And it often times, might not be you. And – don’t even think about doing it just once.  You have to tell them over and over…and be on-target and on-time each and every time.  Don't make them search — tell them again and again.

If not, you send a message you don’t want them to get — call somebody else.

How do you let your customers know the depth and variety of things you are capable of doing for them?

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11 comments on “Your customers have no clue what you do

  1. EH says:

    Good post. Having white papers and case studies on your website and in your marketing emails are a great way to remind or tell your clients all of the services you provide.

  2. I love case studies. They do several things. It gives even more credibility first and foremost. It shows you have done it and it gives it real merit.

    I truly believe you should market your core product and then Make an add on sale by suggestive selling. Your clients will appreicate a one stop shop from a company they already trust.

    You can do it by asking probing questions when they call you about certain issues. “We can handle that for you and not sure if thought about doing this also, but we could do that for you as well”.

    Have a newsletter that covers hot topics in every area you are in. Dont make it about your service, but make it about a common problem and a possible solution you can do for them to fix it.

    Keep customer recommendations & referrals posted. Especially ones who used mulitple services.

    Chad Rothschild

  3. I learned this one the hard way. After years of serving perhaps my best client, I mentioned that we also do … The client said I thought you only did … I learned that I had been missing tens of thousands of dollars of opportunity. I got on the phone right away to call all my other clients to make sure they knew the full breadth of our services as wel.

  4. EH,

    Using your website to keep your offerings in front of your clients is an excellent way to stay front and center.

    But not every client visits your website, so you’ll want to also employ other tactics.

    Drew

  5. Chad,

    You make a very important point — it shouldn’t be about you. It should be about the problem and how it got solved. That way you’re giving them valuable information rather than just bragging.

    Drew

  6. Jeff,

    I’m guessing most of us have learned this lesson the hard way. Lots of money has been left on the table which is an expensive way to pay for the learning!

    Drew

  7. Jeremy,

    And of course the trick is doing all of this with an authentic desire to help the client be even more successful.

    Otherwise, they will wisely smell a rat and we become about the money rather than helping them get even better.

    Drew

  8. Dave Fleet says:

    You’re absolutely right, Drew. Case studies are a great way to demonstrate your experience in integrating different areas of your business and drawing attention to them.

    Beyond that, proposing integrated approaches to your clients’ problems (and, really, most approaches should integrate different disciplines in order to be truly effective) keeps it front-of-mind on an ongoing basis.

  9. This is why I think that having a blog, twitter, making videos etc is essential for any small business. If you get your face and message out there and explain very clearly what you do then you will be much better off and there will be less chance of people going off to other companies

  10. Dave,

    You’ll get no argument from me on the needs for integration. Rarely does a one trick pony get you where you want to go.

    Drew

  11. Niall,

    Very true but there’s a big if. If you are willing to invest in learning the tools and the social rules for using the tools…AND are going to invest the time for the long haul.

    Then, you’re right. Social media tools like blogs and Twitter can really help you communicate what you’re all about.

    But if you aren’t willing to accept the big if…it can also backfire on you.

    Drew

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