Observed

Take a look at Seth’s post from this morning.  Tell me if you agree that vendors and clients live in the binary world Seth seems to describe — where we either use our power to choose or we don’t.

Or, as Seth puts it, we abdicate.

So many things are now completely up to us, more than ever before. Where and how and when we work and invest and interact and instruct and learn…

If you think you have no choice but to do what you do now, you’ve already made a serious error.

It seems to me that passing the buck on this merely because it’s easier than choosing is precisely the wrong strategy. It enables an abdication of power that will be very hard to reverse. It’s up to you, and that’s part of the power that you’ve got.

I get that I have the power to choose.  I also understand that my clients have the same power, authority and ability to choose that I have.

In the best, most satisfying relationships, however, I’ve found that my clients and I share.

I typically, for example, offer my clients options.  I might say, Would you like me to make some recommendations?  Or, perhaps, I might even ask, Would you like for me to choose?

They might say no.  They might say yes.  Whatever they say at any given moment, it’s part of a conversation that reflects the respect we have for ourselves and for one another.

And one that reflects the need to be willing and open to the possibilities of collaboration.

Keeping the door open allows for an engaging and sustainable conversation. When that happens, customers feel valued, leave happy, and are more willing to return.

I read a great post by Seth recently.  It was about the value of keeping the conversation with customers open.

It reminded me of an exchange I had a few weeks back with a customer at the video store where I work part-time.   On particularly busy Friday night, a customer I hadn’t seen in a while came up to my register to rent some movies for her and her kids.

Everything was going smoothly.  I was even able to sell her a candy bundle and agree to spend the extra 5 dollars to renew a month of half-off rentals.

Then, when I totaled the transaction, the system told me that she owed about 20 bucks in late fees from some movies rented months ago.  This is the point of the conversation where I’ve learned to keep the conversation open, making sure I set the expectation that they need to pay their late fees while giving the customer room to negotiate.

So, the conversation went something like this. (more…)

Imagine a Web site where you could have a seamless, live chat with a customer service rep, 24/7. LiveAdmins does this. Nifty, yes?

When I write content for a site, I’m trying to make the user feel as if they were in a conversation. The sound, look and feel of the copy are meant to engage and involve the visitor.

So, it was really cool to stumble on LiveAdmins.  It’s a Web tool that offers a visitor the option to be part of a real-time conversation that supports the user’s experience while it enhances the site owner’s prospecting.

Or, as they describe themselves on their Facebook page:

We provide online customer support services through Live Chat. Our company is also proactively involved in providing exposure to our clients products through efficient Internet Marketing strategies.

When you work for popes, you have more than your share of client satisfaction ups and downs. So, naturally, Leonardo liked the calming rationalism offered by Vitruvius, the great first-century Roman architect and polemicist. In his "10 Books on Architecture," for example, Vitruvius advised that owners hold their architects accountable for any cost overruns. Reward your architect when the projects comes in on budget or better. "But when more than one-fourth of the estimate was exceeded, he was required to pay the excess out of his own pocket."

The New York Times told a fascinating story this morning.  It’s a quintessential New York City story, combining sex, political power and (of course) real estate.

What really caught my eye was the piece of the report that dealt with the design and construction of the subjects’ over-wrought bay-side mansion in Brooklyn.  In referring to Luchese mob boss Anthony Casso, the prior owner, the Times explains…

It was Mr. Casso who originally conceived of the giant complex, only to order the execution-style murder in 1991 of the architect who designed it, for fear that the man, Anthony Fava, could become a witness against him. F.B.I. agents stormed the house looking for evidence, punching holes in the walls as they searched for hidden bodies.

I doubt that either da Vinci or Vitruvius could ever codify what to do when your client pays your invoices in stacks of small bills. (more…)

What is it that motivates my urge to deliver outstanding customer service? It it economic sustainability? Greater profitability? Is it something more personal, such as a code of ethics? Or, is it something else?

Many years ago, a friend of mine was applying to medical residency programs, including the one at Yale-New Haven Hospital.  “I had never been to Yale,” according to my buddy.  “So, when my train arrived, I grabbed a cab.  I told the driver to take me to the hospital and that I had 45 minutes to get to my interview.” (more…)

Why all the fuss about intimacy in marketing communication and, especially, sales?  Does it really matter whether you stay in touch with a client or prospect via Twitter or something more personal?

I believe it does.

Sure, it depends on the stakes.  In my case, I’m a freelance writer selling into a mature market.  If I want someone to hire me, I must offer them something more than my experience and credentials.  Something more than the promise or intention that I’ll be accountable.

So, here’s a re-frame for my last few posts on memorable communications from my own business development perspective…

• In order to hire me, a prospect must first trust me.
• In order to trust me, they must believe I care.
• In order to believe I care, I must demonstrate that I care…not merely assert that I care.
• In order to demonstrate that I care, I must be as tangible and personal as possible.  The more I sacrifice (e.g., my time, money and the like) in communicating that, the greater the value and impact.  The more I prove I care.

What I’m seeking is to be in relationship with someone.  Because I’m asking them to trust me with their baby.

The more abstract the concept, the more we seem to crave the tangible.  So, serpents, forbidden fruit and other such symbols help us wrap our brains around the notions of sin, obedience to the divine and the like.

This applies to a lot of business writing.  Especially the kind I often do, the kind dealing with intangibles such as quality, client satisfaction, professionalism, and trust. (more…)

An interesting post in lawyerist.com recently made the case for being prepared for walk-ins.  The writer says that whether a firm thinks it’s a good idea or a bad one, at least have a sense (or, better yet, a written plan) of what happens when someone just shows up.

If you’re like I am, you’re saying, “When someone just shows up and walks in the front door?  Don’t you mean if?”  (more…)

This clip offers six best practices for client-satisfaction interviews and surveys. Doug Stern outlines how to get the most out of your investment–and how to really set yourself apart. (more…)

The Jan.7, 2010  New York Times ran a wonderful article that speaks volumes about vendor-client relations. The tortured tale of a designer and his client reminded me of the importance of being nice. (Read it all the way to the end.) (more…)