5 Ways to Build a Client-Focused Business
In the past year alone, over 5 million new businesses were started – more than in any previous year. This is due to a lot of factors, but it tells us something very important: every prospective client has a lot of options to choose from when deciding who to work with.
Building a client-focused business is vital to resonating with your audience. Your marketing will play a large part in bringing clients in the door (after all, if they don’t know you exist, they can’t hire you!), but word of mouth is also vital to your growth. Testimonials and referrals are crucial parts of your marketing and sales!
In order to get that word of mouth, however, you need to be intentional about building a client-focused business – one that considers your client’s wants and needs at every step. This is more challenging than it might sound, but it is achievable! Here are some important points to consider.
Tip 1: Know Your Target Audience
This is obviously an important aspect of your marketing plan, but it also affects every other part of your business.
Who is your ideal client? What are their needs? What pain point and unique challenges do they face – and how can you help to solve them? These are questions that will shape your Policies and Procedures, your client journey, and every aspect of how your team takes action to serve your clients’ needs.
If you haven’t already done so, I encourage you to create your Ideal Client Personas.
A persona is a group of people that you serve. Are your ideal clients busy professionals? Stay at home moms who are constantly handling 12 things at once? College students just starting out? Retired couples who are ready to enter the next phase of their lives?
These groups are just examples, but each will have different needs, different levels of tech savviness, different schedules, and different ways they like to communicate. Taking the time to think through these needs will equip you to find ways to improve your client’s experience with your team.
Tip 2: Cater to Your Client’s Needs
Once you dig in and get to know your target audience better, think through what their day involves.
For example, if you need them to sign legal documents, do you make them come into your office or do you offer courier service? If you need to talk with them in person, do you make them drive across town to your office (potentially missing appointments of their own) or do you offer Zoom calls?
As an attorney, I specialized in medical malpractice cases. My clients valued my services and my team’s abilities, but they didn’t exactly want everyone to know that they were facing malpractice charges.
To better serve them, my team and I found ways to serve them with excellence while keeping things quiet. I was clear with my clients about when they needed to take action on something and when I was just keeping them in the loop. I adjusted little things, from the courier service I used to the way we communicated with our clients in order to make them feel more comfortable working with us.
Details like this might not seem like a big deal, but they can make a huge impact on your client’s experience.
Tip 3: Go the Extra Mile
When you take the time to really get to know your clients, you’ll also start to find ways to bring in the WOW factor. This doesn’t have to involve huge gestures, but it can really make a difference.
For example, many of our clients either run virtual companies or are looking for ways to streamline their activities. As the owner of a virtual company myself, I’ve found different pieces of tech that I love to use, so I include them in our Welcome Box!
This curated box includes a Rocketbook to help our clients streamline their planning, notes, and other written documents; it also includes a tech pack full of some of our favorite gadgets to make life easier for busy business owners.
We also look for ways to celebrate events in our clients’ lives, cheer them on through their wins, and let them know we’re thinking of them when they experience challenges. We love to delight our clients with cards and gifts throughout the year – not because we have to, but because we can!
Tip 4: Ask for Feedback
Do you want to be able to give your clients a better experience? Involve them in the process!
Simply taking the time to ask your clients for feedback can give you fantastic data to work with. You can do this through a survey, an email, or on a phone or Zoom call.
Some questions to consider include:
- What did you like, and what did you not like? (Both are important to know!)
- What can we do better?
- What else would you like to see from us?
By constantly engaging with your clients, you can take action toward building a client-focused business.
Tip 5: Have Systems in Place!
Once you figure out what your clients are looking for and decide on ways to provide it, you need to make the process repeatable and train your team to follow through. This is where your systems come in!
Again, this doesn’t need to be a complicated process. By documenting your Policies and Procedures, making sure your team knows how, when, and why to use them, and having examples in place, you can ensure that your clients receive amazing service every time.
If creating those systems seems intimidating, know that you don’t have to create them from scratch – my team and I have created plenty of resources for you to work from, and we’re here to help you implement them. Just contact us for details!