So the first thing on my list is “if you go the extra mile for them, they will go the extra mile for you” and to be honest I did know this, sort of, but I didn’t realize just HOW true it was. I get that happy clients tell their friends and all of that, but what I didn’t realize is how MUCH they will rave when you are willing to put in the extra work.

That can come in a lot of forms. It can come in the form of a special little extra or add in that they didn’t know was included, it can come in the form of a surprise call or note to let them know that you were thinking of them – like for a birthday or anniversary. It can come in the form of offering extra support, extra time, kind words – pretty much anything that goes above and beyond what is set out by your job description and packages will get their attention and help them to form a lasting and positive impression of you and your business.

Maybe it’s even that something went WRONG but they way you handled it was so impressive that they were blown away by your customer service. Sometimes it isn’t even the clients that had a super smooth and perfect experience that have been the most impressed, sometimes it is the ones where things went wrong but the effort put into rectifying the situation was so amazing that they left delighted and thrilled. It can be easy to get our backs up, to be defensive or to start laying blame because we are nervous – but honestly, most of the time it is worth sucking it up and doing whatever you can to make the client happy and turn them into loyal customers and raving fans.

#2 Word of mouth is THE most powerful form of marketing. I love marketing. I love facebook ads, google ads, running events and promos on social media and email lists. I seriously love all things digital marketing – but I have to let you in on this – there is nothing, and I mean nothing more powerful than word of mouth marketing. People trust their friends. They want what their friends have. So when Jenn shows her bestie the gorgeous photos that I did of her kids, and raves about how comfortable and fun the experience was, how much the kids loved it and how happy she was with the end result? There is an incredibly high chance that that friend is going to book in for a session of her own. Even better is when you have been creating tons of happy, raving fans and then you start getting someone who hears from you not only from one friend, but another, and another. I remember the first time this happened to me. A client came in and told me that while she was pregnant she had asked on facebook who she should use for baby photos. 2 friends that didn’t know each other both recommended me, then her hair dresser mentioned me while she was at the salon and then the cherry on top was when her neighbor said she used me as well. Honestly – with positive recommendations from all of those people why woudn’t she hire me?! Word of mouth is HUGE my friends, absolutely huge. Start making connections, get your name out there and make sure you are going above and beyond with every client.

#3 The Customer is always right – except for when they aren’t. I started my journey into customer service working in retail and then in restaurants where the saying goes “the customer is always right”. I learned quickly that as a customer service representative there is a very large portion of your job that involves biting you tongue, swallowing your pride and doing whatever it takes to make the customer happy. This is a really good strategy, and it served me well most of the time, but it also created a situation where people could walk all over me because I would just keep bending, and bending… and bending. So. The customer is always right – except for when they aren’t. You need to be willing to go above and beyond. You need to be willing to fix your mistakes when you inevitably screw up. You need to be willing to provide top notch service – but – you also need to be willing to stand your ground occasiona