Workplace MANAGEMENT AND THE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT
Q C
ASK AN EXPERT
What strategies can I use to show clients I care about their business?
ARING ABOUT CUSTOMERS is one of the best ways to differen- tiate your business and gain
long-term consumer loyalty. But how can employers operationalize such a “soſt” skill? Your best strategy is to teach your employees what caring about customers looks like in action and suggest specific tactics they can use. Here are some ways to show customers they’re important. Be present. Most people have so many responsibilities and distractions that it’s tempting to listen to clients with only half an ear. You know how it is: you make appropriate noises during a client call (“Mmmhmm… I understand…
No, that won’t be a problem…”) while typing emails to other clients. Being present says, “You’re my top priority right now.” Touch base often. It’s simple: return calls and emails promptly. Try not to leave any unanswered emails or voice mails overnight. And be proactive with updates too. See the good. Make an effort to stop thinking of customers as “annoying,” “needy,” “clueless,” or “a waste of my time.” Instead, choose to see them differently: “I admire how responsible he is with his company’s money.” Or, “Getting their business is a big win for our company.” Customers will
appreciate the change in your attitude. Don’t make it all about business.
Make an effort to learn about clients on a personal level as well as a professional one and follow up on what you discover. People are surprised and pleased when you remember what’s going on with them — precisely because the assumption today is that most people don’t care about what’s going on outside their own bubbles. Go the extra mile. Constantly look for ways to make the service you provide just a little bit better. Even actions that seem like nothing to you (such as walking a client to the door aſter a meeting) can mean a lot.
JON GORDON is the author of The Carpen- ter: A Story About the Greatest Success Strategies of All (
www.jongordon.com)
PROFILE KEEK CHIC
If imitation is the highest form of flattery, then ALEX MACDONALD, CFO of Toronto-based social media network Keek, must be blushing. Earlier this year, Twitter announced it would allow users to post 30-second videos on its site, mirroring the 36-second video status-updates unique to Keek. “We felt it was a validation of our business model,” says Macdonald of the video length. “We’re not microform like Vine, or longform like YouTube — 36 seconds is enough time to tell a story, but short enough that people will watch it.” The 29-year-old joined the TSX-listed company (which boasts more than 73 million users worldwide and two billion video posts in 2014 alone) in January 2014, and he played a vital role in Keek’s expansion into the US.— Tamar Satov
14 | CPA MAGAZINE | APRIL 2015
Ruth Kaplan
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