As we head towards the end of Q1 in 2013, I asked my team to reach out to customers to ask the question, “What do we do differently than others in our field that keeps you a customer?”

The answers were very pleasing.

• “You answer the phone.”
• “You are always available.”
• “You help me understand what you do.”
• “You never seemed satisfied with current results.”

As a service organization that is music to my ears.

We work very hard each day to achieve this customer satisfaction and I wanted to share how we are able to execute these results One of the first things we do when a client has signed on is to have a start-up call with their team. It is very important that you have the person who signs the check on the call because they do not have an understanding of what they are paying for or the value of what you are delivering, then later on you can fall prey to being seen as a line item that can easily be cut.

During this start-up call, we walk them through a shorter summary of our initial goals and recommendations for their company to outline our work to those who may not have been on the initial sales call. We want everyone to be clear of our starting point. We have the members of our team who have worked with the potential client from day one on the phones so our customers begin to understand right from the beginning that our whole team is available to help them achieve their results.

Steps for a great start-up call

Step 1: Conduct and present a formal assessment of the client.

Documenting and reviewing the initial assessment of the client is very important because it shows where you began. By doing so, you have clear tangible numbers that you can compare your progress to each month or quarter. Without it, your effectiveness is diluted and left to fading memories.

Step 2: Be specific in what will happen over next few months.

We discuss the workflow we will use as a framework for our monthly tasks for the next three months. Do not go further than that time period for now. People cannot remember or take in more that that timeframe. Explaining what is going to happen will give the customer comfort in a schedule.

By doing this you also leave nothing to the imagination. It removes the unwanted response, “I did not understand that is what you wanted.”

Step 3: Make sure you tell them what is expected from them.

Every successful service provider needs interaction from the client. In our case it is passwords and logins to accounts like Google Analytics, Social Media sites, business listing sites, etc. We also lay out items we will need from them each month such as events they may be doing, specials they are running, traditional ads they run, etc.

Step 4: Communications

This may be the most important step for long-term success. How often do you speak to your client? For our company we have implemented a weekly call strategy for most of our clients. This has been the end result of trying many different ways over the last 3 years.

My recommendation is to schedule the call. Do not leave it to just call the client when you have time. Everyone is busy but if you set a time each week, then it is on everyone’s calendar and is looked at as important.

I also recommend that the decision maker be on at least every quarterly call if they cannot make at least the monthly call.  Remember these are set times where the account is discussed but we stress to all of our clients that we are available at all times if they need us.

By focusing on making sure your clients understand what you do for them, but communicating at set intervals they will feel that you view the relationship as a partnership, not just a number.

Glenn Pasch is the current CEO of PCG Digital Marketing as well as a writer, National Speaker and Trainer. Glenn will be speaking at the upcoming Innovative Dealer Summit in Denver Colorado, March 19th and 20th.