There are several ways women can make money online from targeting a niche market to opening an Etsy store and selling goods. Regardless of how you choose to start your own business the one sure fire way to make money online is to keep your clients happy.
A great idea is just a concept until you have clients. I’ve been a content and social media consultant for over seven years and during that time I’ve learned a thing or two about keeping clients happy. It’s not always pretty and sometimes it means doing things that I don’t want to do, but I do them because at the end of the day more happy clients equals more money in my pocket.
Here are four ways to keep your clients happy:
Don’t mention other clients
If you’re self employed you know that clients often think they are your only client. Actually they may know you have other clients, but they just don’t care. Making your client feel special and as if they are your one and only top priority (sometimes even above your spouse and children) makes them happy.
Don’t mention other clients, other workloads or anything at all unrelated to that specific client. They are paying you for a job and at the end of the day nothing else matters.
Promote open communication
I always say it’s better to over communicate and double confirm than have a misunderstanding. I hate it when things aren’t laid out in black and white; therefore I am always open and honest with clients.
If I accept work I make sure I can deliver by the deadline and if I can’t then I negotiate from the get go. There’s nothing that ruins your credibility as a small business owner than not sticking to your word when it comes to deadlines and quality of work.
Be open and honest with clients at all times. Checking in on them even if you’re not currently in a contract keeps your name in front of their eyes and hopefully reminds them that you’re open for business. New business can come in from a simple “Hello how are you” email.
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Never say no
As a freelancer, small business owner or start-up you always want clients to keep coming back. One way to do this is to be their go to person. It may be not be an ideal working situation, but being self employed isn’t always perfect. If you want to keep clients happy then never say no to their request, no matter how ridiculous that request may be.
Over the years I’ve had clients who had some very abnormal requests including completing a big work order in a very short deadline – like 7 hours and give their grandson a job. That’s just the nature of the job and I’m O.K. with it. I know that my client is happy (at the end of the day that’s all that matters) and they will ask me again and again for work because they know I will never say no. Sometimes we have to do things unrelated to our jobs in order to get the work.
The most outrageous request I’ve ever received from a client was to drive his wife to New York City which is a six hour drive from where I live. Mind you I was happy to do it because I was going on a weekend road trip anyways and I was happy to have the company, but it seems like an unorthodox request from a client.
Exceed their expectations
Being average may keep your clients happy, but it won’t make them want to refer you to their colleagues. When you’re a small business owner reputation is everything and going above and beyond for your clients can keep them happy for years to come as well as talk about how great you are to their friends.
According to Entrepreneur.com being above average is always good for your business. This includes both you as a person a.k.a. your customer service as well as the quality of your work.
“Do more than what is asked or what is planned to do. In work life, we can get so focused on the day-to-day grind that we lose sight of the main point, which is that we’re all in this together. Step outside the proverbial box and jump in to help out when you’re good at something. Your skill set may be more than what’s been scoped for you, so think beyond your assigned role. You may be retained to help on pure marketing but have expertise in product marketing, which falls under a different domain. Why not offer ideas, tips and suggestions?”
What’s your best piece of advice for keeping clients happy?
Mine would be communication, as you have mentioned 🙂 no-one likes to feel like they are being ignored or brushed aside!
Sometimes you need to say no bad clients.