Common Customers or Committed Clients?
Have you ever stopped to consider that as an online business owner you have the opportunity of choosing the types of buyers you deal with in your business?
You might just think "a buyer is a buyer and I'll take whatever I can get."
Or you can largely determine the kind of buyer you want to attract to your business by the way you choose to do your business and marketing.
Let me explain.
If you will adopt an "MO" ( modus operandi - a method of operating) that includes what I'm going to describe here, your business will automatically be differentiated from your marketplace competitors. You will have a unique and wholly creative business that your clients will love and clamor for.
What I'm talking about has nothing to do with your chosen business niche, per se. This method can be implemented in any niche market, with any product or any service.
In addition, anyone can adopt this business model as it is totally age, gender, culture, education, and experience independent.
First, let's go to my huge Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary and look up the definition of a customer.
Here it is:
cus-tom-er, n. 1. a person who purchases goods or services from another; buyer; patron. 2. a person one has to deal with; a tough customer; a cool customer.
It's pretty easy to gain customers for your goods and services. All you have to do is sell something - that's it! Once a person buys from you, they are automatically your customer. Nothing else is needed. No relationship exists, other than they have given money in exchange for a product or service they wanted.
Anyone can have customers! Most businesses would prefer to have as many customers as they can generate. It's a simple and easy business principle because, really, nothing further is expected of customers.
Yes, your customer can buy from you over again if he decides to, but there are no further expectations or contracts to continue your relationship at this point, i.e. he can purchase elsewhere if he wants to - no strings attached.
Now, let's switch the focus to clients.
What is a client? Here is Webster's definition:
cli-ent, n. 1. a person or group that uses the professional advice or services of a lawyer, accountant, advertising agency, architect, etc. 2. a person who is receiving the benefits, services, etc., of a social welfare agency, a government bureau, etc. 3. anyone under the patronage of another; a dependent. 4. a person seeking the protection, guidance or influence of another more prosperous or powerful.
I hope the distinction between "customers" and "clients" is starting to become abundantly clear.
If you take on clients, there is the expectation (understood by both parties or not) that you are going to develop a relationship with them that will be in their best interest. You are committing to protect, guide and influence them in whatever subject you are teaching.
So what does this distinction mean for the business owner?
Here is my take on it:
I want people who come to my business to see themselves as clients rather than customers.
I want my clients to know that I will do my best to give them advice, counsel, products and services that will be in their best interest - not always mine.
I welcome my clients to open a dialogue with me - to enter into a personal relationship which includes open and frank discussions about the subject of my business. They don't have to buy from me to get my help.
I welcome their suggestions, ideas, experiences, and especially feedback in the niche. I will give them my personality, wisdom, and experience as it applies to the subject so they can understand my passion and qualification for being their teacher, coach, and mentor.
I will never purposefully lead them astray and I will always give them the guidance that I feel will best help them become successful in the niche.
Can you understand how the customer/business owner model of small business is so different from the client/teacher (coach) model?
Now I'm not going to get caught up in semantics. You can call clients "customers" if you want.
Some will call them "friends of my business." Clients could be called "students" or "pupils" or simply valued subscribers.
The important point is, the folks that come to your business for help can be treated like faceless customers who buy and are never seen again . . . OR . . . you can use your effort and influence to treat them as clients - people who are there for tutoring, guidance, and coaching by one who has great influence, authority, or experience in the niche.
It doesn't matter what kind of business you have or what you sell - you can develop the attitude that everyone who walks through your business door will be treated as a valued client.
One more thing . . . if you decide to take on clients, there is an expectation that you can deliver something to them that the general public doesn't have - most often, specialized knowledge and skill in the niche.
Yes, you can learn this quickly, you can find it in other people that you work with, or you can organize and present the accumulated knowledge of other experts on the subject.
As the owner of an online business, you have the choice to go after one time common customers or loyal, committed clients.
Without a doubt, the client/teacher model demands much more from the business owner - that's why very, very few of your competitors ever accept this role and business model.
But think about the significant advantages of this type of business:
Steve
You might just think "a buyer is a buyer and I'll take whatever I can get."
Or you can largely determine the kind of buyer you want to attract to your business by the way you choose to do your business and marketing.
Let me explain.
If you will adopt an "MO" ( modus operandi - a method of operating) that includes what I'm going to describe here, your business will automatically be differentiated from your marketplace competitors. You will have a unique and wholly creative business that your clients will love and clamor for.
What I'm talking about has nothing to do with your chosen business niche, per se. This method can be implemented in any niche market, with any product or any service.
In addition, anyone can adopt this business model as it is totally age, gender, culture, education, and experience independent.
First, let's go to my huge Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary and look up the definition of a customer.
Here it is:
cus-tom-er, n. 1. a person who purchases goods or services from another; buyer; patron. 2. a person one has to deal with; a tough customer; a cool customer.
It's pretty easy to gain customers for your goods and services. All you have to do is sell something - that's it! Once a person buys from you, they are automatically your customer. Nothing else is needed. No relationship exists, other than they have given money in exchange for a product or service they wanted.
Anyone can have customers! Most businesses would prefer to have as many customers as they can generate. It's a simple and easy business principle because, really, nothing further is expected of customers.
Yes, your customer can buy from you over again if he decides to, but there are no further expectations or contracts to continue your relationship at this point, i.e. he can purchase elsewhere if he wants to - no strings attached.
Now, let's switch the focus to clients.
What is a client? Here is Webster's definition:
cli-ent, n. 1. a person or group that uses the professional advice or services of a lawyer, accountant, advertising agency, architect, etc. 2. a person who is receiving the benefits, services, etc., of a social welfare agency, a government bureau, etc. 3. anyone under the patronage of another; a dependent. 4. a person seeking the protection, guidance or influence of another more prosperous or powerful.
I hope the distinction between "customers" and "clients" is starting to become abundantly clear.
If you take on clients, there is the expectation (understood by both parties or not) that you are going to develop a relationship with them that will be in their best interest. You are committing to protect, guide and influence them in whatever subject you are teaching.
So what does this distinction mean for the business owner?
Here is my take on it:
I want people who come to my business to see themselves as clients rather than customers.
I want my clients to know that I will do my best to give them advice, counsel, products and services that will be in their best interest - not always mine.
I welcome my clients to open a dialogue with me - to enter into a personal relationship which includes open and frank discussions about the subject of my business. They don't have to buy from me to get my help.
I welcome their suggestions, ideas, experiences, and especially feedback in the niche. I will give them my personality, wisdom, and experience as it applies to the subject so they can understand my passion and qualification for being their teacher, coach, and mentor.
I will never purposefully lead them astray and I will always give them the guidance that I feel will best help them become successful in the niche.
Can you understand how the customer/business owner model of small business is so different from the client/teacher (coach) model?
Now I'm not going to get caught up in semantics. You can call clients "customers" if you want.
Some will call them "friends of my business." Clients could be called "students" or "pupils" or simply valued subscribers.
The important point is, the folks that come to your business for help can be treated like faceless customers who buy and are never seen again . . . OR . . . you can use your effort and influence to treat them as clients - people who are there for tutoring, guidance, and coaching by one who has great influence, authority, or experience in the niche.
It doesn't matter what kind of business you have or what you sell - you can develop the attitude that everyone who walks through your business door will be treated as a valued client.
One more thing . . . if you decide to take on clients, there is an expectation that you can deliver something to them that the general public doesn't have - most often, specialized knowledge and skill in the niche.
Yes, you can learn this quickly, you can find it in other people that you work with, or you can organize and present the accumulated knowledge of other experts on the subject.
As the owner of an online business, you have the choice to go after one time common customers or loyal, committed clients.
Without a doubt, the client/teacher model demands much more from the business owner - that's why very, very few of your competitors ever accept this role and business model.
But think about the significant advantages of this type of business:
- Wouldn't this kind of "TLC" really set your business apart from every other competitor in your niche? Truthfully, how many businesses can you think of that are personally concerned with the customer/client?
- Wouldn't you be able to charge much more for your products and time if you give this type of personalized assistance? By all means.
- Wouldn't your clients be much more likely to buy your products without a lot of hard selling on your part? Of course they would.
- Wouldn't it take far fewer clients in order to keep your business humming as opposed to one-time customers? Yes, most definitely!
Steve
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ScooterDaMan -
Thanks
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