How to Deal With 4 Types of Customers

If you’re a consultant, you deal with all sorts of customers. Some you’d love to duplicate, while others, well, let’s just say you really earn your money working with them. Have you noticed how customers fall into a few categories?

Read these descriptions to determine which best describe your customers:

Laissez-Faire

You may tend to like this type of customer. They’re laid back and happy to let me run the show when it comes to their marketing. The laissez-faire customer knows you’re the expert, and trusts the decisions you make. For the most part, they’re happy with an occasional check-in from time to time.

• How to Handle: One problem with this hands-off approach is that sometimes there’s a break in communication. If they’re unhappy with your services, they may not reach out to let you know before it’s too late. To circumvent this, make sure you check in via email and telephone every few weeks to make sure you’re on track to meet expectations on a given project.

Micromanagers

The opposite of the laissez-faire customer is the micro-manager. And just like those bosses you remember from your days in the corporate world, these customers breathe down your neck with every move. It is, after all, their money they’ve invested into your services, so they just want to ensure you’re doing what you’re supposed to do.

• How to Handle: While you may want to lay down the law when it comes to micromanagers, you’re better off simply following their lead, at least within parameters. If you feel stifled with the amount of micromanaging a client is doing, tactfully find a way to ask for a little space (maybe limit your hour-long status calls to once a week rather than twice a day) to get your job done.

Utterly in the Dark

This type of client needs your guidance, though may be unwilling to relinquish what little control they have. For example, a client may come to you for social media services, though they know little about how to use Twitter for business. If they have bias against your services (i.e. is a technophobe), it may be a hard sell, but typically they will bend to your advice once they see the benefits for their brand.

• How to Handle: Go back to basics. Don’t assume they know anything about your area of expertise.  Instead start from scratch and help them understand what you do and how it can grow their bottom line. Encourage them to ask more questions, and be patient!

Savvy and Perfect

Wouldn’t you love more of these types of clients? They know what they want, and either don’t have the time or knowledge to do it themselves. The good news is – they have the money to pay you to do it! You’ll spend less time selling them on your services, which is nice.

• How to Handle: Don’t get complacent in your relationship by assuming everything’s kosher. Check in and maintain solid contact. Go out of your way to show you’re thinking of them; for example, send a link to an article you think they’d enjoy reading. This client will be loyal and refer other business to you, so it behooves you to nurture the relationship.

Remember that you can always fire your client! If one client type simply rubs you the wrong way, work to eliminate that type from your portfolio and work on drawing the ones you work more easily with to you. 

By Susan Payton

Do you have any clients that don't meet the types above? Let us know by adding your thoughts below.

 

Just Connect: Make Your Message Go Viral

Is it just a pipe dream, or can you actually engineer virality? Master the winning combination that can make your marketing message go viral.

Every business owner dreams of their message going viral. Think of all those eyeballs! All that buzz! Whether it's a video, an article, or some other piece of content that is intended to promote your brand and vision, you really, really want it to catch on. Like wildfire.

Some people believe that the key to viral success is found in creative navigation of popular social media channels. Some think it's in all in mastering search engine optimization and pay per click efforts. Others swear the secret is in knowing how to broadcast and use pay per view buys on that video behemoth YouTube. But is going viral really something that can be engineered?

But pause and think about it. If it were that easy...why wouldn't everyone already be doing it? We would most likely see a ratio of one in 100 going viral instead of one in one million. So what's the key to the über success of those few brand messages that get more than the average share of attention?

"Not every business needs to go viral to the world and some don't even benefit," says Kevin Daum, author of Video Marketing For Dummies. Daum also says, "If viral is your goal, then you have to start with a wow! concept that actually touches people at their cores."

That's what happened this past week with a little Kickstarter project out of Detroit. It didn't have money or a large backing behind it. In fact, the project owners didn't even post a video on YouTube. Yet they are receiving thousands of emails, posts, and pledges for this little five-minute video. It has already raised more than $51,000! With the number of projects on crowdfunding sites growing by the day and vying for the public's attention and funding, what makes a project like this stand out from the rest?

"People are saying that the video is deeply touching," says EMMY winning producer Shawne Duperon. "And it shares a compelling story on a subject that is critical in nearly everyone's heart: forgiveness." Who hasn't wronged someone in some way in their life? Everyone has a moment when they either needed to be forgiven or needed to forgive. This video strikes at the heart of the subject and people want to be involved.

Internationally renowned Facebook expert Mari Smith, says this is exactly how a video catches on. "When we see a video that moves us, we feel compelled to share," she says. Smith feels this is one of the main reasons that online social networking has grown like wildfire over the past several years. "Not only is this growth a part of the evolution of human consciousness, the technology allows us to touch the lives and hearts of hundreds of millions of people around the globe... such that we all know we're not alone. There are others out there who share our dreams and visions, too."

Shawne Duperon is a successful business speaker who shares the story of her past as a child abuse survivor; she knew everyone could relate to the topic of forgiveness in everyday life and that you don't have to experience high trauma to benefit from forgiveness. Duperon saw the need for making a movie about real people and their ways of dealing with forgiveness, simply to be happier. And much to Duperon's hope and surprise, she found the perfect formula for a wow! subject and supporters have flocked to the cause. But gaining support for her beloved film project through crowdsourcing was not originally Duperon's idea.

Teresa de Grosbois of the Evolutionary Business Council thought that posting a fundraising effort for Duperon's mission on Kickstarter would be a splendid birthday surprise. The EBC, a group of thought-leaders committed to making a difference in the world, starting fanning out Project: Forgive on Facebook. A few weeks later Duperon produced a short moving video about a man forgiving the drunk driver who killed his wife and kids. Very quickly, it started to catch on. Within days it caught the eye of spiritual leaders Marianne Williamson and Sonia Choquette, which pushed the viral component even farther. Jack Canfield of the Chicken Soup series fame then caught wind and endorsed it; both he and Marianne Williamson quoted the project in a Detroit Free Press article which really started the emails flowing. Other spiritual teachers, such as Master Charles Cannon, are now sharing the video. With these endorsements flowing in the project gained International media attention as well. Stories from ABC, NBC, The Detroit Free Press, CBS Radio and TV and radio in Canada have followed and covered the project. Even Weight Watchers icon Florine Mark is spreading word of the project.

Social media expert Shama Kabani works with companies across the globe. She says this is exactly how "going viral" works. "It inspires action and it isn't passive. It engages us in a very profound and personal way and leverages technology to turn a project into a movement," she says. "And, this is just the beginning for Project: Forgive."

Project: Forgive is not done yet. It needs to raise more than $40,000 to meet its goal and get the film off the ground. But even if this goal is not achieved, this team has succeeded in igniting an important conversation of forgiveness for tens of thousands of people.

Do you have a meaningful message and vision behind your brand? Remember that your audience needs an emotional connection to whatever it is that you are selling. To achieve that connection it's critical that you, as the messenger, are passionate about your vision and that you surround yourself with others who feel that passion and are committed to supporting you. With these key components in place international acclaim may be at your fingertips!

Quote of the Day

"To do just the opposite is also a form of imitation."
Author, Georg Christoph Lichtenberg

Your action for today is to see if you are doing something the opposite way from someone in your family. See if the results are working in your favor.

Seven Ways to Effectively Juggle Business and School

You’ve heard of work/life balance, but how about work/work balance?

As a young entrepreneur, school may still be in the picture and balancing it with the day-to-day rigors of running a business can seem downright impossible. The sacrifices you’ll make are often deeper, and there are no guarantees that you’ll be able to excel at either activity to your satisfaction.

But there are ways to make the work/work juggle more manageable — and still get some sleep. Here are seven tips:

1. Be realistic. Joel Weldon, a motivational speaker in Scottsdale, Ariz., once said, “The problem with unrealistic goals is that you reach them just often enough to think they’re realistic.” Having lofty goals will surely give you something to aspire to, but you can wind-up putting unfair pressures on yourself. Instead, set realistic goals that are achievable given your other time commitments.
2. Switch hats often. Let your business be a great break when you’re tired of studying, and go back to your schoolwork when the pressures of your business get discouraging. By switching from business to school, you can create enough contrast to keep each area of your life fresh.
3. Prioritize. Sometimes your education must come first, and sometimes you may set it aside temporarily to reach a business goal. Maybe you can drop a class to free up more time for your business. Or, you may postpone your website release for a few months so that it doesn’t conflict with final exams. If it takes you five years to graduate instead of four but you leave with a flourishing business, you’re still ahead of the game.
4. Plan ahead. Both businesses and classes have busy and quiet times. Don’t let those moments pass without moving ahead. Putting off projects in either arena risks the longevity of both activities.
5. Do double duty. Look for opportunities to use class projects to explore your business goals. If you’re asked to research an industry, choose the one where your business operates. Use your business as an example in marketing and strategic management classes. Research one of your potential customer groups in your market-research class. Remember: FedEx started as a class project.
6. Take breaks. With both responsibilities, what’s most likely to suffer is your personal life. Be sure to find time to exercise, eat well, socialize and relax. If you have to, schedule free time into your day. But if you find yourself sacrificing that time to your school or business too often, re-think your expectations. Life is about reaching your goals, but it’s also about enjoying and valuing the journey.
7. Let go. There will be times when you simply can’t meet all of your deadlines in spite of your planning and hard work. Give yourself permission to let some things go. Work with your faculty and suppliers or customers to see where schedules can loosen without doing damage. If you’ve been working hard, most people will recognize the challenges you face and give you a break once in a while. But don’t take advantage. If you let go too often, admit that you’re taking on too much and need to make adjustments.

By Adam Toren