The #1 Way to Improve Your Services and Elevate Client Relationships

One of the most under-used resources in business is our existing client base.

We tend to get into the routine of daily or weekly workflow with clients where there’s recurring revenue and possibly even testimonials and referrals. Yet once they settle in as clients, most of us don’t tap into the market and sales intelligence within our own client base.

Often the missed opportunity is to find out and understand why our clients decided to do business with us in the first place and why they continue to work with us and send new business our way. 

This may seem like an obvious thing to do, but I have noticed that very, very, very few (did I mention almost no one does this?) companies actually have talked to their clients about why they love them!

When my company creates go-to-market messages for organizations (also known as The Message Blueprint™️), one of the first things we do is uncover what their clients love about them and why they continue to buy. 

We conduct interviews with their clients and ask them to give their candid feedback and insights in order for our clients to learn and provide the best possible experience for their target market. It also helps formulate and capture the uniqueness of the companies. 

These interviews uncover the ‘secret sauce’ that makes them who they are and ultimately identifies how their clients receive value. The important thing with these interviews is that they come from their client's point of view, rather than from assumptions about what they value. 

Conducting interviews with current clients and customers is one of the best strategies I’ve found to clarify company messaging, elevate customer retention and make improvements to products and services.

Here are a few simple steps you can follow to do this for your own business.

1. Choose which clients you want to interview 

I recommend that you choose at least ten of the type of clients you would like to replicate, whether it’s because of the amount of revenue they bring, the type of work you get to do with them, or because of their way of interacting with you and your team. The most important thing is that you would enjoy doing more work with individuals and companies like them.

You’ll want to look at your ideal client avatar and figure out which of your current clients align most with that model. If you don’t have as many clients to interview yet, don’t worry. You can speak to the clients you already have and take some time to really get clear on your ideal client going forward.

2. Figure out which strategy to use for market research 

The next step is to determine the strategy that you are most comfortable with gaining the answers to your questions. Some possibilities are sending an email, creating a confidential survey, scheduling a lunch or coffee conversation, a Zoom or phone call, or conducting a roundtable discussion with a group of selected clients.

At one round table discussion I had for my company, there were clients conferenced in from several locations around the globe as well as the ones who were local. Your strategy will depend on the nature of your industry and relationship with your clients. The good news is – once you’ve established a loyal client base, you’ll find that they’re excited to meet with you and help you out because of the immense value you provide them.

It’s also important to remember that each strategy has different requirements to get the “most” out of your clients in terms of the candor of their answers, and there are a couple of tips that are consistent no matter what:

• Acknowledge them and express your gratitude for their participation and their loyalty
• Clearly state your purpose for the conversation
• Be well prepared with the questions so you stay on track to ask and have all your questions answered
• Thank them for their candor and feedback

3. Prepare questions that will lead to a deeper understanding and conversation

Design questions to explore why they originally decided to do business with you, the results they have enjoyed, and what they would change or improve in how you do business with them. 

When I conduct these interviews for my clients, I typically have ten questions to guide my conversation. If that feels overwhelming, you may find it easier to focus on a few of the non-negotiable points I mentioned above and create several questions based on those.

When you ask your questions, you’ll probably find out some new services you could provide or where you are vulnerable because you are not fully meeting expectations. One of the most important aspects of elevating your client relationships in this way is that you’ll be having conversations to gain a deeper understanding about them, and them about you, and that’s always a good thing.

Conclusion

If you approach this process like a telemarketing research group, you won’t get the results you hoped for. Ultimately, this is a guided conversation to uncover why your clients love you and want to continue their relationship with you. It’s a gift to be able to uncover these kinds of unfiltered truths about your business. Be sure to treat this process as such. 

If you’ve been looking to elevate your company messaging, improve customer retention and existing client relationships – we’ve got you covered. Head to this page to learn more about The Message Blueprint™️. And be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook and, LinkedIn so you’re always up to date on all of the latest communication insights for you and your business.