The Superpower In CONSISTENTLY Providing What Your Clients Know They Will Get
Welcome to Episode 30 of the Hidden Creative Podcast!
Hey there guys, we are jumping straight in today because I am speaking of a topic that as a creative I know you don’t want to talk about. It's the word you run from. It’s certainly not something you want to do. Because, you started your business for freedom, to be your own boss, you don’t want to be stuck on repeat, do you.
But, today, we are jumping straight in so I don’t lose you. Because I want to share with you why being consistent in the right areas of your business will help you grow. And when I say grow, I mean to make your business wholeheartedly grow, to thrive in fact, and be the business you dreamt about when you started. Yes, being consistent in one particular area, can make this happen.
Now, I noticed something the other day. A pattern in the moments when I take notice of the service I am receiving from a business. And this is what sparked this entire podcast episode. Let me explain.
THE FIRST MOMENT -
I gravitate towards a particular cafe because they top their hot chocolates with actual shaved chocolate. Not just dusting. But proper, shaved chocolate on top. It’s my favourite. And the reason I came to this realisation is because, on one of my morning visits, I didn’t get this chocolate on top. I got the everyday dusted chocolate. And it made me take notice.
THE SECOND MOMENT -
I've always had odd shaped eyebrows so I like to get them dyed. And while I have visited many salons over the years, I always gravitate to the one that knows how to shape my eyebrows exactly how I like it. The same service every time. There have been times when I’ve felt my eyebrows were a little darker than normal, and not the same as usual, and it made me take notice. Enough to have a quick conversation to let them know.
THE THIRD MOMENT -
I always shop at the same grocery store in town. Particularly when it comes to the everyday essentials, I want to get in and get out. However, our local grocery store is undergoing a major renovation. They are moving everything around in their store so they match all their other stores across the country. It’s a great idea, but the transition period is tricky. What once was a very quick and easy shop, has now turned into an extra hour of searching for the things on the grocery list. And it’s made me take notice.
Are you starting to see the pattern here?
What these moments made me realise, was when the service you receive is CONSISTENT, you go back and back again because it’s that consistency, in knowing what you’re going to get, that keeps you going back. You know what you want and you know that is what you will receive. And when I say this, that might mean that they are consistent in bringing out new menus, or products. So there’s still freshness, and inconsistency there. But, overall, you know what you’re going to get. The service is what you expect it to be because you have received it there before. And it builds trust and sets your mind at ease knowing the outcome.
But, when there’s an INCONSISTENCY in the service you receive, you take notice. You may not recognise at first, or it may present in different ways - it might look like you realising something, or feeling like something is too expensive. It might look like you wanting to find somewhere else. Whatever that may be, inconsistency in the service you receive results in you taking notice of what once used to be the thing you loved, and it forces you to make a decision.
Do you decide to try somewhere different next time and go in search of the service you are looking for? Or, do you decide to stick it out, gambling on whether or not what you’re paying for is what you’re wanting + receiving.
Let me tell you the answer here.
If you are a regular to the business, and this is a one off thing, you will most likely go back. Because, we all have off days right.
If there is a big change happening and the business has notified you of this, you will probably also go back. Because you feel loyal and they have kept up that line of communication.
If you feel seen and heard by the business, and you trust them, you will also go back and tell them of your experience. Because you know they will be open to hear it.
But, if you don’t feel loyal, nurtured, seen, heard or understood by the business, or if the inconsistency is big enough or continues each time you go back, let me tell you, you won’t end up going back. You will find somewhere else.
This is what happens to our customers.
Regardless of if you have a bricks and mortar business, a service based business working from home like me, an online business… If you are selling a product or service to someone, the key to growing your business is in consistently providing what your clients know they will get. And this step happens when you create your offer, and the thought you put into after someone purchases from you.
So let’s talk about when creating your offer and the importance of creating every step of this process.
You don’t just sell a product or a service. You sell an experience for someone. You’ve heard this before. For example, when I used to photograph familys, weddings and newborns, I didn’t just take photos for them - that’s not what they bought - what I did do was capture a moment in time for them that they wanted to keep, so they could revisit it again and again. They purchased the way in which they could do that. To time travel really. So each and every time I sold a package, I knew it wasn’t just family, newborn or wedding photography. There was a story behind each booking. And that story was something I always gave my clients the opportunity to share. Why do you want to hold a photoshoot right now? Is the question I would ask.
The times that that didn’t happen and I didn’t receive their story, so if I forgot to send the questionnaire, I didn’t feel as connected to what I was capturing for them, and I know the outcome for them felt the same.
This is why I created a client procedure list and made sure that I wrote out every single step of the service I wanted to provide for someone, so that when I got busy in wedding season, or had a heap of photoshoots going at the one time, it became habit to check off the list and make sure everything was being provided that I wanted to provide.
You may be a product based business, and think this step is irrelevant. But, this step for you can look like the handwritten thank you note you pop into the box before packaging the order and sending to your client. That little choccie you include with it. Or the check in email a week after they purchase just asking them if they are happy with their choice.
This step is an important one because it sets you up for the key ingredient in your client journey with you. So if you have to, write down a list of all the steps you want to take to ensure your client receives your best service - and most importantly here - each and every time. This is what being consistent in the right area of your business looks like.
So, how does this help your business to grow?
Well, the key ingredient to the journey your client takes with you, is actually in the nurture stage which happens after they purchase from you. And the reason this is key, and a step most people miss, is because it is in this stage where you hold the most power in attracting repeat sales and new customers. It’s magic actually. And so often the stage of the sale that goes by unutilised.
After someone experiences your service or product, they will want to tell people about it. Regardless of if their experience was good or bad. But, think about it for a moment. If their experience was amazing, then what they say will automatically have a higher chance of attracting the people they tell it to, because they have just been told by someone they trust that your product or service was amazing.
Now imagine if that person who hears of you, decides to come and try your product or service, but what they receive isn’t the same as what they have been told about. That line of communication, and advertising for your business stops. Or maybe it doesn’t stop. Maybe they talk about that instead. And so indirectly, it’s sending people away from your business.
Now imagine if that original person, the one who heard of you from their friend, decided to come and try your product of service, and what they receive IS exactly as they were told it would be. That advertisement that person makes has now become twice as important and influential, because it comes with the backing that the service was experienced not only once, but by two different people! That is not only social proof, that is impactful advertising.
Consistency is the very thing that allows you to take this experience and repeat it again and again to grow your business wholeheartedly. In creating an amazing offer (and I feel like I need to keep saying whether that be product or service based), your consistency in delivering that offer to the best of your ability each and every time is what builds trust with your clients and helps set their mind at ease knowing the outcome they receive with you. It is also the very thing they will talk about with their friends and family and indirectly all of this helps to advertise you in a powerful way. Not just a quick social media post, hoping it reaches the right people. In the way that your message is being shared with people who are your ideal client, already engaged, building trust from the moment they hear the recommendation.
Now, there are times when your service won’t be consistent. And this is ok. We are only human. So here’s what to do in those situations.
If you need to make changes in your service, like our local grocery store has done, then LET YOUR CLIENTS KNOW. Be upfront and honest with them and say - hey, we know there will be changes to the way you normally would receive our product or service, and we want you to know that we are still here for you. Here’s what’s going to happen.
If YOU have found that your service is slipping and it isn’t reflective of the service you have built and want to provide - then CHANGE IT and TAKE ACTION on creating a way to ensure you DO deliver the same amazing service every time.
And if you have received feedback (also listen to my last podcast episode 29 on gaining feedback from your clients for this) or had someone share with you that your service wasn’t what they had expected or experienced in the past - RESPECT their feedback, assess the service they received and make changes where needed.
Consistency is only a scary thought if you let it be. Because I am hoping that this episode today helps you look at it in a whole new light and see the benefits of being consistent in the right areas of your business.
Consistency in the service you provide is key to growing your business wholeheartedly. So, I want to end on a question. Are you being consistent? Send me a DM @iamtaylahmaree and let me know your thoughts.
Looking for more?
I love to help rural creatives build an impactful small biz with heart and I do that through photography + business mentoring. If you want to learn more, head on over to our photography or mentoring pages here 🙂 Or send me a text, I can’t wait to chat with you xx