What if Beyonce, George Clooney, or Brad Pitt wanted to do business with your professional services firm? Would you treat them like any other prospective client?
Of course not. You would fawn all over them.
“Here is the Jedi Mind Trick” to make you craved by your prospective clients, envied by your competitors, and raved about in your industry: treat all prospects like they are a celebrity.
That’s the advice of international client service expert Geoff Ramm.
Ramm, the author of the brilliant book Celebrity Service, knows the only great customer service leads to lucrative, repeat business. Based in the United Kingdom, Ramm travels the globe teaching audiences how to discover the gap in their service they never knew existed.
“How can you design a customer experience that has you talked about for decades to come?” asks Ramm. “You think you deliver great service, but then a celebrity walks in and everything changes.”
Closing the gap between your ordinary service and extraordinary service can be a game changer.
I interviewed Ramm in Dallas a few years back after he delivered the opening keynote to 1,400 professional speakers and consultants at the annual conference for the National Speakers Association.
His book Celebrity Service is a fresh way to look, think, and act on upgrading every aspect of your client service, enabling you to become memorable in the eyes of your clients.
Using the acronym CELEBRITY, Ramm explains the key elements: Consistency, Excitement, Love, Engagement, Bravado, Response, Independence, Thank You, and You and Your Team.
Ramm offers the following tips:
Identify and anticipate client needs. “Remember, clients don't buy professional services, they buy good feelings and solutions to problems,” says Ramm. “Most celebrity service client needs are emotional rather than logical.” Ramm says you would want to anticipate what Beyonce, Clooney or Pitt would want before they wanted it. “By identifying and anticipating these needs, you are more likely to give your clients exactly what they are after.”
Communicate clearly and effectively. Strive for communications clarity. “Your clients will appreciate being talked to clearly and concisely,” says Ramm. To quote Pitt’s character in Ocean’s Eleven, “Never use seven words when four will do.”
Treat your employees well. If you have employees, client service isn’t just for the outside world. “Make sure you see your employees as your internal clients,” says Ramm. “The quality of your client service will never exceed the quality of the people that provide it.”
Always go the extra mile. Doing the extra is appreciated. Ramm notes: “Although clients may not mention it to you when extra effort has been made, they will notice and will tell other people.”
A final tip: Ramm also advises you to monitor your competition.
“Any business should keep close to the competition,” says Ramm. “In terms of client service, the quality of the service you provide should at least be the same as your competition. Remember, if you’re not taking care of your clients, then your competition will.”
Henry DeVries is the author, ghostwriter, or editor of more than 200 business books, including his international bestseller, How to Close a Deal Like Warren Buffett—now in China! He is the chief book architect and ghostwriter at Indie Books International in Oceanside, California.