Customer. Service. Two words that can be intimidating when used together… especially for us freelancers.
Hopefully, by now, you’ve come to the conclusion customer service is not so intimidating, it’s just good common sense. And a lot of common courtesy.
We’ve learned that even the most wildly successful and extremely wealthy businessman like John D. Rockefeller, Sr. thought so highly of the ability to deal with people that he would “pay more for that ability than any other under the sun”.
We’ve learned how relevant Dale Carnegie’s book “How to Win Friends and Influence People” still is today. As a matter of fact, the book is still considered the gold standard of showing people the importance of learning social and communication skills.
He gained this knowledge by reading and researching 100’s of biographies on the world’s greatest leaders and how they attained success. A highly recommended read!
We know now that clients want to work with other people who make it easy for them to do their job and get results. Clients don’t want to have to chase after you and keep tabs on you to make sure you’re doing your job.
And speaking of clients, we’ve talked about the attributes of a ‘Positive’ and ‘Negative’ clients and how to effectively deal with each type. Cultivating professional business relationships that benefit both you and your client is an on-going and practised skill.
When dealing with clients on the positive side of the spectrum, using your best judgement and professional know-how in a friendly way goes a long way to effectively working with them. They tend to be easy to work with, are cooperative and is generally an enjoyable experience for both of you.
Dealing with clients on the negative side of the spectrum, on the other hand, can be a bit more complex… but not necessarily impossible. It will take a little more finesse on your part… which, a lot of times, is well worth the effort because once they see how professional you are to work with, they will follow your lead.
