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Yes, that’s right, $25,000 in one day. So now that I have your attention, please know this isn’t an article about making money nor do I tell you this to brag.  This article is more of a lesson about how to give your clients solutions to help them obtain their overall business goals. By being in tune with your client’s needs and vision, and delivering results, the money follows. Now if you’re still interested, please continue reading.

In the past, I’ve signed larger contracts, but this particular contract made me think about things a little differently. I always have and will continue to be all about first-class customer service when it comes to my clients, which to me means truly listening and understanding their requirements and delivering results. By making a mental shift and thinking long term, not only for my business’ goals, but for that of my client’s, enabled me to secure a long term client, while providing value added services to help grow their company now and in the future.

1.  Knowing my Client’s Goals

My client was up for a contract renewal for the marketing services my company provides for them. After meeting with the client and asking questions about their current and future business goals, I knew that my company now offered another service that was in-line with their overall business strategy. So I approached them about the new service to add to their renewal. Guess what, my client said, “No, thank you, we’ll keep what we have.” Even though they declined my offer, it was still a very good thing that I understood what my client was trying to achieve.

2.  I Didn’t Take No for an Answer, Instead Detailed the Benefits

As I knew this new service would greatly help my client with their overall growth strategies, I couldn’t take no for an answer, at least not at this point. What I thought was I’m not demonstrating the benefit strongly enough for them to understand the true value. So I went back and further detailed the benefits and ROI for using this new service. Sometimes it is important that you get into the finer points of your services/products to ensure that your customer truly understands what they are getting from your company and the benefits they will derive from it, even after they’ve told you no. Now they got it, and two days later they signed the renewal with the new service added.

3.  Providing Long Term Solutions

As my client has been in business for many years, I knew that if they needed these services now, they will need them well into the future. So we developed a plan, that was flexible enough to grow with their business. I then structured the contract to go well beyond the previous contract length and added an extra incentive to extend even longer to help them save by paying upfront versus a monthly retainer. Yes, we both run the risk of pricing changes, business goals being revamped, as we cannot predict the future. However, by establishing this long term arrangement, it will enable us to work together to solve any challenges or changes they face in the future.

Through my customer service-centric approach, I took the time to understand my client’s requirements and helped them understand the true benefits of my services. I essentially became a valuable partner to their company, providing solutions to help them achieve their short and long term visions for their company.

Follow these three tips and you too will be able to provide products or services that help your clients achieve their goals all while earning, not only money, but a long term customer for your business.

Bianca B. King