Client service tips from Paul Alisauskas – Pace Law Firm:

It’s easy to lose sight of reality when business is thriving or even just decent. Jeb Blount, in his great little book, People Love You: The Real Secret to Delivering Legendary Customer Experiences gives us these reality checks for understanding the client encounter:

‘You need your clients more than they need you.’
Unless you work for a business with NO competitors, it’s easy to lose sight of this fact. Without clients, the demands and irritations of your job disappear, mainly because you don’t have one.

‘Clients are people.’
In all their fallible glory, like you and me, they have a multiplicity of flaws they often wear on their sleeve. They’re ‘doing business’ with a person, too – YOU; not a company; not an ‘organization’, but a person.

‘You are always on stage.’
“You must exert a tremendous amount of self-discipline to manage every behavior, promise, and action while in front of your audience.” It ALL counts.

‘Clients act on emotion and justify with logic, for their own reasons – NOT yours.’
Emotions are the “human” element of all transactions. Serve the emotions; you are serving the client. You can help shape their decisions and behavior, but ONLY if you understand what their reasons are. Ask.

‘Clients don’t do illogical things on purpose.’
Your role is not to judge, but to understand. Only then can you influence.

‘Always give more than is required.’
“Meeting” expectations is a prescription for instant memory loss – by your client – of YOU.