A pattern has been surfacing recently from the interviews we conduct prior to on-site strategic working sessions for/with the clients of my growth planning/strategic advisory firm. We are hearing from our clients’ customers that they:

  • want to be contacted BEFORE a question would even come up
  • don’t like the expectation that they will do the traveling for appointments
  • don’t want vendors to get defensive or take their questions too personally
  • want more one-on-one interaction and more individualized services/products
  • expect more understanding, compassion and empathy
  • are not very interested in the vendor’s feelings, needs, personal life or goals
  • need bright vendors but won’t tolerate arrogance

It’s no longer enough to say that your firm is responsive and brag that you return customer calls quickly. They don’t want to have to call you. They want and expect you (and me) to PREVENT their ignorance, concerns, and uneasy feelings.

This extended period of uncertainty following the recent recession has had an adverse impact on just about every market.  The obvious sectors include construction, real estate, banking, and wealth management firms.  But uncertainty has been unsettling to customers in other industries.  We feel it. Even our most ambitious clients now want to review the details of our research findings, request multiple presentations of our recommendations, and need repeated fact based reassurance.  Some would like to demand guaranteed revenue growth and net profit levels.

If your business is related in ANY manner to the shifts in the economy, stock market, political winds, etc…take a fresh look at the tone and frequency of your communication with clients/customers.    

 

Aldonna R. Ambler, CMC, CSP has earned the right to be called THE GROWTH STRATEGIST™. She has won over 2 dozen national and statewide “entrepreneur of the year” awards for the resilient growth of her international businesses across 4 recessions.  Her midsized BtoB service, technology, and distribution clients get on…and then stay on…the published lists of the fastest growing privately held companies. All of her current service businesses (strategic planning, executive advisory, growth financing, talk show, speaking, search) help privately held midsized companies achieve accelerated growth with sustained profitability™. Ambler is wrapping up her 7th year hosting a weekly peer-to-peer-to-peer on line talk show at www.Business. VoiceAmerica.com and www.growthstrategistshow.com that features interviews with CEOs/Presidents of midsized companies (typically between $20 and 200 Mil/yr) sharing success tips about the growth strategy-of-the-week. Family owned businesses are being emphasized in 2011. Ambler is in the process of launching her 8th enterprise. She can be reached toll free at 1-888-Aldonna or at Aldonna@AMBLER.com