What real help looks like. How to best-serve creative clients.
When it comes to client services, you want to nurture, nurture, nurture. Provide the best service you can, no matter what. THAT is what you do. The adage— the customer is always right “sort of” applies here. They are not always right, so let’s re-phrase that to “the customer is always most important no matter what.”
My version of real help looks like this: Caring more for the other than for your self. No ego, no attitudes. Simply putting that person in #1 position to help them. That’s what I believe, that’s what I do. When it comes to running a creative agency— virtual, in person, or otherwise requires that you provide a service to others and apply your God-given talents to others. It’s what you do. You either hire, or outsource others that are the best in their field. Thus, surrounding yourself with an excellent team. That team now serves clients.
I have applied these principles to everything I do in life, especially professionally for now running my own micro-virtual creative agency for over 20 years. I lead with kindness, respect, honesty, humor, and caring. My expectation is that they are #1—always. I disregard things like “revision rounds,” too many edits, problems, budgets, and concerns. All of these things can be worked around, fixed, and resolved. Every client and every project wants the same ending. High quality, fast, and affordably. So how we get there is (in my opinion and method) dependent on the guide—the leader. If you provide a safe haven, a catcher’s mitt mentality that you catch every ball thrown— open that glove and take the hits. You are not only one of the best players or catchers in the game, but will be relied upon, trusted, and established as a valued partner. And THAT is what’s most important. Be a valued and trusted leader.
There’s far too many greedy, selfish, arrogant, and thoughtlessness in the world, so why not provide the better side? By living these values and virtues, or acting upon the best core values you can personally, and then provide that outwardly, you are creating the best service available. The ideal relationship. And that is what real help looks like in any business.
Let me give you a few examples of how I suggest helping creative clients:
1. No problem, I’ll take care of that
2. YES! I will do that, no problem
3. Budgets and cost are always flexible. Let’s come up with a cost that fits the best need and budget.
4. I’ll fix it as much as we need to until we get it right
5. I’m sorry about that, let me fix that quickly
6. This is VERY important, let me take care of that
7. How soon do you need it?
On top of that, one of my beliefs is putting your literal money where your mouth is. And this is a valuable question: Are you willing to do it for free? I sure have… I have probably provided just as much free work as I have paid work. Why? Because I do what I love and love what I do. And my core belief is providing a service to others as an obligation and honor rather than a way to “get money from others.”
Now obviously wisdom, experience, discipline, and boundaries all come in to play here. Running a fiscally-responsible business require a lot of common sense. So you also need to practice your Zen… your protective instinct to maintain a solid business. That goes without saying.
But valuing what’s most important should not be money first, or profit first, or “things.” Those things always come and go‚ and eventually go away. So by valuing your talents and your customer’s needs first— providing a great service to others, you will NEVER run out of or provide enough of. And because of that— you in turn run a more sustainable business. Remember, at the core, your “DNA” or your genetics and cellular structure is what you are, so build up a solid foundation based on those inner values first. And ask your self what those things are to you.
But before you “help” others, really ponder why you are helping them in the first place?
