Biz Shizzle – Nothing Personal

This is a tale of two coaches.  Listen up:

Story number one: years ago, I signed up to work with a very popular coach.  This person was spiritual, seemed to understand my industry and promised oodles of assistance, loads of personal support and all sorts of other goodies.  

But as soon as I plunked the money down….she disappeared behind a faceless assistant.  My emails were rarely answered in a timely manner or by her. The big time support?  Not there.  She became unreachable, unavailable, and distant.  (She also got busy launching other stuff and became distracted because she was “too busy” – which lead to her forgetting to follow through on some promises.)

I never worked with her again because I felt she didn’t give a rat’s ass about me once she got my dough.  I was just another number to her.  Another name on her “list” (she was really, really into growing her list).

Story number two: I got introduced to Erika Lyremark and signed up for The Daily Whip.   To say I was nervous is an understatement.  Would this be another too-good-to-be-true coach?  Would she let me down?

Not for one minute.  Erika got in my grill like baddest (but most loving) drill instructor in da biz.  She took my business apart, gave me suggestions, made me get rid of my lame-o excuses and step up my game like a BO$$.  After working with her, I felt clear, grounded and ready to uplevel my swerve like a true balla!  Hell yeah!

And best of all?  She was real, personal and present. (She even made time to answer my emails and respond to everyone in the Facebook group.)  I didn’t feel like a “number” – I felt like I was a VIP.

Erika is an example of how business should be done: professional but with a personal touch.

I’ll be a loyal client for life because of her attention to detail and exceptional client care.

Taking the time to reach out and connect with your clients can make all the difference in how they perceive you.  When you are approachable, people respond.   (Think this: everyone wants to be heard and witnessed.)

As your business grows, you may need an assistant to handle client issues.  After all, you can only do so much.  A good assistant can manage tasks, take care of details and your clients.

But even if your assistant  is a whiz at managing all that jazz, you still need to remain mindful of your client’s feelings and experience – especially if you are in a service oriented business (and yes, coaching, tarot readers, healers, graphic designers, etc are in that category).    

Being tossed off to an assistant because you’re “too important” or “busy” can sometimes feel like a cold brush off to a customer, even when you don’t mean to come off that way.  When someone is dropping dollar bills in your account, they should feel as if they matter.

While I am all about strong boundaries to keep out the ne’er do wells and freebie seekers (I never respond to rude people and I fire clients when they are not appropriate for my business), it’s important to remember that clients are people and they want to be treated with respect just like you do.

No matter how “big” you get, it never hurts to reach out on occasion and say thank you. 

Or to answer a tweet from a follower.  

Or to send a personal email acknowledging someone or answering their questions (and to answer that email in a timely manner).

It takes no real effort to be sincere, human and to treat people with decency.

Just remember: without these people, you might not be where you are today. Don’t become that out of touch business owner who forgets their roots – stay humble and keep a personal touch as much as you can. 

“In a world full of people who couldn’t care less, be someone who couldn’t care more.” ~Author Unknown

Blessings!

Theresa

© Theresa Reed | The Tarot Lady 2013

 Have you ever had a business owner go out of their way to deliver fabulous service?  I’d love to hear your stories of great client care in the comment section below: