Clients: Perhaps they’re customers. Perhaps they’re patients. Perhaps they’re clients. No matter what you call them, they are the reason you receive a paycheck. How are you nurturing the people who give you (or your employer) the money to support you? Are you cultivating a warm, welcoming environment for your clients?
As I touched upon yesterday, I’m all about the simple smile. Think about how you want to feel when interacting with a person taking your money for goods or services. You don’t want to feel like you’re paying to be mistreated. You want to feel like you’re paying for something worthwhile. I try to learn a bit about my customers to build rapport — and as a result I have my “regulars” who bring me a little joy during my work days in return for the smiling service I give to them. I also try to humanize my managers. They wake up in the morning, get dressed for work, and show up just like I do. I want them to feel like they’re a good manager, just like I want them to make me feel like a good employee. I’ve had one regular tutoring client over the last three years as he completes an undergrad degree, and I dare say we’ve forged a friendship because I feel strongly about making clients and customers feel welcomed and appreciated. Again, I feel like I just need to keep being myself — smiling and being friendly.
I wish my business had paying customers. Our customers always end up being family and friends and my business partner is not really comfortable (nor am I sometimes) with charging them. I am disheartened really. But it is what it is. I wish things could be different in that respect.
Tracy Mangold recently posted..#cultivate15 – Friends – Day Eleven