Poetry in (Business) Motion

I recently ran across a quote by a poet that I have grown to love over the years, and was surprised to discover how applicable it is to everyday business. Maya Angelou said, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

While we might not all immediately connect feelings and business, when it comes to service providers, it really is all about the feelings. Does your client feel like you took good care of them? Do they feel like you are working in way help them reach their various goals?

For a client to feel good about us, it means we have shown them the respect and concern we show others that we care about. We listen. We ask questions to try to understand more. We respond quickly. We check in often to see how things are going and if there is an issue, we work hard to solve it.

We’re all imperfect human beings. Mistakes will be made. But if we take good care of a client they will remember the care, not the errors. This level of client care builds strong business relationships that last, which lead to referrals and more clients for years down the road.

Ask your clients for feedback on how they are feeling about the processes you are using. Find out their thoughts on your level of care, and be willing to make small (or big) changes in your process to make them feel more cared for.  You will find no better investment than investing thoughtfully and purposefully in your client relationships.