Clients First: The Two Word Miracle

Communication

Silence is a punishment. Years ago, we had a neighbor whose husband would not speak to her for weeks at a time. It was one of the cruelest things I ever witnessed. We moved away, and I don’t know what happened to them but I’ll never forget the pain that emanated from that poor woman.

You must communicate with your customers. The simple acts of naming your business, creating a logo, and branding your product are basic communication tasks, but you cannot stop there. You must relate to clients what you can do for them. You must tell people how you are going to do it and, ultimately, that you delivered.

My mother got my first job for me. I was 13, bright and shy. The local druggist put me behind the soda counter and showed me how to make malts and sundaes. Then he left, and I had to relate to the customers. I was fine with the first one. The woman knew what she wanted, and I prepared and served it without a word. Then I got three customers at once and I had to decide whom to serve first. I needed to speak and keep everyone happy. A simple “you’re next” would have worked wonders, but I couldn’t talk. As their impatience grew, I became rattled. I didn’t even know how to ask for the money. I was a math whiz in school. Making change would be easy, but I couldn’t even announce the completion of my task and tell the poor customer the price. At the end of three hours, I went home in tears. I never returned.

Can you put Clients First without communicating with them? I suppose ...