by Rob Wolfe
You may think it’s a simple matter of semantics, or maybe you’ve grown tired of hearing the debate over and over, but I think it’s important for any organization to revisit this issue regularly to ensure you’re maintaining an appropriate branding and “client service” mindset that can impact your business success. It’s NOT a B2B vs. B2C thing.
As SalesMarks.com puts it, “You don’t want customers, you want clients. You don’t want people who buy from you once because you simply have the ‘goods’ they need right now.” Understanding the difference between a client and customer can greatly affect the way in which you and your employees do business.
It’s About Value, Emotions, and Lasting Relationships
You want ongoing relationships with people who use your professional advice and expertise— who buy from you because of how you help them, not what you hand them, advises SalesMarks.com. Cultivate relationships so that you become indispensable for what you know (that you can transfer), how you help, and how you make people feel about the interaction. When you do that, you’re building a client base, not a customer list.
Forging a long-term relationship with your buyers, providing them ongoing advice for the future, making an emotional connection, and looking for opportunities to offer or provide additional value, advice or services to them, are all effective tactics for keeping them as engaged clients instead of transaction-focused customers. And establishing a practice of routinely referring to your buyers as “clients” rather than “customers” will help serve as a constant reminder of those relationship-building business objectives to boost client loyalty to your organization and your brand.
Do you agree that having a “client” vs. “customer” mindset really matters for an organization’s or brand’s success?
