Often times, companies will spend a major chunk of their communications budget on reaching the external audience. But what about the internal? Your first customer is always your employee. They are closest to the matter, have more invested, and talk more about your business than any of your clients. Doesn’t it make sense to factor in your labor force when brainstorming different messages and channels?

When I worked for my former company, we had an unbeatable environment. We wore whatever we wanted (within reason), kept beer in the fridge, and had dogs running around. We’re at the beach, so our style was laid back, even though we were one of the most successful government contractors in the country. It worked for us.

Though there were high expectations and pressure to get the job done, often working 80-hour weeks (on a good set), my coworkers and I felt that the company cared.

Then, we got bought out by a larger, seemingly soulless organization that disposed of its people faster than trash.

During the acquisition, there was no established source of company communication, if you discount the water cooler. But as most know, water-cooler facts are not always true and often a great source of fear mongering. This left everyone worried, stressed, unsure, and unhappy.

With one quick swoop, the corporate attitude and structure had changed. Everything we loved about the culture of the former company was crushed, as were the feelings and hearts of everyone who felt emotionally tied to the organization. It was really heartbreaking to see men, who on Friday loved being at their job and hanging out with old war buddies, despised the same company on Monday. Heartbreaking.

Though there will always be feelings of anger, resentment, and frustration, standard byproducts of mergers, I don’t think it would have been as bad. Employees hate feeling left in the dark, and they have every right. They invest their lives into a company, an idea of purpose and missions. One of the easiest ways to keep them content is to keep them involved and in the know.

Obviously this doesn’t work on all decision-making levels, but there needs to be some driving force that includes everyone. Whether it’s a newsletter, a corporate blog, a weekly meeting, whatever. Companies that do well by their employees will do well by their customers.

(Photo source: www.radwan-pr.de)

Do you really know your customers? Really?

Sure, you may know that Tom Brime goes golfing whenever it’s 70 degrees and sunny. Susan Peters prefers vegan food, although she will drink milk, occasionally, with chocolate cake. When TNT runs a Bond marathon, you know that if you want to find Mike Wheeling, he’ll be on his couch with the phone turned off.

Yes, these details say a lot about your clients’ personalities and preferences. Any good salesperson would be sure to remember these idiosyncrasies, as personal relationships have always, are, and always will be the basis for closing a sale and retaining customers. It’s been said millions of times: People do business with those they like.

However, do you know their communication and learning styles? What is their VAK (visual, auditory, kinesthetic) preference? For example, if Susan is more visually oriented, when you go to meetings, she is going to want to see charts, graphs, pictures, and the material in front of her at which to look. If you spout off statistics and other data, without something for her to see, most likely her head will be spinning. (I know, as I pull towards visual.)

Additionally, this also affects how you should phrase your words. Since Susan likes to see things, demonstrating your comprehension of what she’s just said as “I hear you,” will leave her feeling uneasy. Yeas, that means the same thing as “I see what you mean,” but neurologically speaking, she doesn’t process the information the same. Susan might feel as though she as to continue to explain her point. This will result in everyone being frustrated.

Avoid this confusion by figuring out in which spectrum your customers fall. Then, make sure to keep this in mind when conversing with them, either in person, or by email. I like to have a reference file on each person with whom I work (especially if I don’t know them as well), which describes each person and their preferences. This way I tailor my communication styles and develop better rapport overall.

(Pic from www.qfdi.org)

You may have great products and great employees, but if your customer service leaves people less than thrilled to be doing business with you, ultimately your brand will suffer. Consumers have to trust your company to be loyal, but first, they have to feel appreciated and valued. Without this, they’ll be willing to switch to any other company who offers comparable goods and services—one that goes out of its way for each and every person.

Sound like a lot? Maybe not so much if you’re a little guy, but when you’re dealing with thousands of individuals every day, it tends to add up. For this purpose, you need to have systems in place that dictate how you will take proactive stances to ensuring your customers keep coming back time and time again. These are set methodologies you’ll use to show each and every person how you appreciate their business.

Here are three ideas to get you started:
• Pre-sale – Maybe you’ve only spoken with Bob, either in person or on the phone. Now is a great time to show them how you’ll go the extra mile. Send Bob something, nonthreatening, that you know will be of interest. If he randomly mentioned just buying a rare Swiss Mountain Dog and how there is minimal information about training that breed, find an article of relevance and send it to him! Every time Bob thinks of his training his puppy, which will be all the time with the indoor bathroom adventures, he’ll remember your kind gesture!

• During the work – My general rule is go above and beyond, in any way possible. Say a client wants to have a PR campaign, I’ll quote them a week, and then, if my schedule permits, turn around the work in only three days. The first thing I always here is, “Wow, you didn’t need to get it to me that quickly, but I really appreciate it!” While they may not think you have a life, they will know you take their patronage seriously!

• Post sale – What are you doing to re-ensure your customer that his or her purchase was a valuable decision? This is a critical time to remind her of your unique market niche and why Susan should feel good about her choice. Doing so will position you in her mind for the next time she requires similar services. I like to send my clients a gift card to a store I know they’ll like, such as Starbucks, a thank you card for their services, and a coupon for their next round. Not only will they save money by returning to you, they’ll be happy because of that Venti Mocha Frapp! Everyone wins!

(Image modified from go.pressconnect.com.au)

As someone who places great emphasis on developing quality, long-term relationships with my clients and network contacts, I recently have faced the hard-nosed question of where to draw the line. These past few months, the majority of my clients have failed to pay me, bounced checks, made promises, and seemingly ignored invoices, yet all with an apologetic, sometimes melancholy, response. Then, when I do receive payment, they come with low eyes, a monotone voice, and a frustrated look, gripping the check with white knuckles. This leaves me feeling guilty that I’m asking for compensation for the services I provided. (What, Jaylyn?!?)

Yeah, after collecting a two-month old payment yesterday, I spent the following three hours feeling as though I’d done something wrong. Did I not go the extra mile for this person? Didn’t I allow him to spread out the payments, only to have them bounce in my account, and charging me for the fee? Didn’t I do work and cut my prices? What else could I have done?

My goal is to support my customers as much as possible to 1. Keep a working relationship, and 2. Maintain the established friendship. But is this possible when difficult situations regarding money come into play? How much are you to sacrifice your well being for that of your clients?