Handling clients with compassion wcjax 2019

Editor's Notes

• #2: Handling clients with compassion, providing white glove service without selling your soul
• #3: Been in the information technology industry for a couple few decades … started using wordpress as a blogger in 2007.. Technically 2008 as it took a lot of courage to let the world see and actually press publish ..in 2015 after designing several sites for free.. I was on a mission trip to Haiti and felt called to do more with my gifts. In 2016 I started my boutique web design agency here in Jacksonville Heartwired Digital Solutions where we primarily serve nonprofits and small to medium sized businesses both locally and globally.
• #4: So what is compassion?
• #5: Are we really compassionate? Especially when we are tired, have needy clients, hear the same question over and over again, things that should be simple our clients make complicated, or when scope creep creeps in
• #6: Ever wanted to fire a client? For things like not listening, non payment, sharing your pricing, unreasonable expectations, being non communicative or responsive
• #7: Every client is different, figuring out the client personas that you can best serve will make both yours and their lives easier..as will figuring out who you should not serve.
• #8: While they are all unique they all want the same thing.. To be heard and know that someone cares.
• #10: How to show your clients that they matter.. Their lives even beyond their business or organization matter. They have emotions just like you do, both good and bad.. Genuinely ask them about them find out what their story is.. Show them that you care.. Your clients are human just like you afterall
• #11: Your brand is only as big as your heart .. It may not be a part of your visual identity like ours, but people will still notice it when you use it.
• #12: How do you create a culture of compassion? Clarify your purpose Empower and engage Be willing to go off script Focus on relationships Listen, connect and share
• #13: As a business owner your job is to make your customers happy, but not when it is at your own expense and frustration.. Some clients are yours for the long-term while others are easy to let go to allow room for those that are the right fit.
• #14: Whether you are a solopreneur, entrepreneur or large agency owner .. Client relationships are all the same
• #15: Sometimes to keep your own wits and sanity and not drown in the sea of loneliness and despair
• #16: When you have clients that don’t communicate, pay timely, are condescending, disrespectful, dishonest, or talk negatively about you, your services or even your vendors and sometimes competition… it is time to fire them
• #17: So how do you handle those clients that just like to scream because they think you are a magician.. Assuming you have not fired them of course.. First remain calm ,, they might be angry but getting angry in response escalates rather than diffuses. Use their name when talking to them .. The most soothing word for someone to hear is their own name. don’t take it personally.. They are upset with whatever the situation is usually that is not you, many times it is not even your situation. Listen.. Let them vent .. Empathise, sympathize as needed .. Find a solution when there is one.. Sometimes that means admitting there is no solution or at least not one readily available.. Be willing to try and fix what is within your means, and accept the things that you either simply cannot control or are beyond your scope… after all that .. Breathe.. Take a walk.. Clear your head.
• #18: Provide human centered service .. Practice active as well as reflective listening .. Consider their affect heuristic .. Or the shortcut to how they make decisions in that moment based on their emotions .. Tap into their beginners mind or the openness to new ideas.. Let go of fear.. Chunk the problem.. Break up the problem into sizes that are easily managed.. The best way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time.. Anger is natural for everyone .. Keep calm and carry on .. We are all human kind.. Be both
• #19: How much time do you spend trying to understand our clients versus fix them .. Listen for understanding rather than solutions and you lkely will serve better.. Compassion allows us to decrease our own bias when working with clients.
• #21: Putting people over profit allows us as business owners to truly help others and do something great .. Also a great book I recommend called People over Profit by Dale Partridge
• #22: The best design puts humans – of all ability levels – first
• #23: Create websites that serve and are accessible to everyone. Accessibility amplifies compassion for everyone and personally should be standard design practice versus what ends up many times as an afterthought.. Granted this does not pertain so much with handling your clients but more so serving those that your clients serve better.
• #24: Make it personal for the customer .. Each customer should feel they are your only customer Offer loyalty discounts or rewards as a token of appreciating those clients that help you Be flexible.. Things happen , people get angry usually at the situation rather than you so be flexible, do what you can and contrary to popular belief the client is not always right just be tactful if you choose to tell them they are not Understanding your clients is vital, take their pulse, touch base from time to time.. Many times you don’t know what you don’t know unless you ask.. Surveys can work to get honest feedback that can help you serve better