Communication is key! It is possible that communication may be the #1 way to get more clients and keep the clients that you do have. Imagine if you are at the grocery store to buy milk and instead of the normal process of grabbing milk and taking it to the register the grocery store now requires you to go to their website and sign up for an account and check out there. How would this make you feel? This may be an extreme example or a glimpse into the future but it is stated to show how potential clients may react when a process doesn’t go the way they expected. I constantly see business owners and entrepreneurs create roadblocks for their potential customers. Breakdowns in communication happen all the time. Here are a few tips to keep it from happening to you.

Meet the customer where they are
You’ve created the best promo flyer, typed up the best copy for your Facebook post and now you’re ready for the offers to roll in! Here they come people are asking about availability for your service and you tell them to go to your website and fill out a contact form… ??‍♂️ Think about that process for a second. You have a potential customer who is ready right now on Facebook and for them to book you are sending them off of the current app or website they are on to a new app or website to fill out a form so that you can call or email them… The harder you make it for people to give you their money the chances of you closing that deal, goes down. If the customer emails you, email them. If they call you, call them. If you’re unsure of the best way to communicate, ask them!

Quick response time
Clients and potential customers love when you get back to them right away. Especially when they are inquiring about a purchase. When I have a lead come in from my website for a head shot or other photography service I call the second I receive the notification. Often times people are still on my website. Which also means they still have buying on their mind and before whatever inspired them disappears they have already been booked for an appointment. That was an example of how quick responses can help in the sales process but on the relationship side, it is just as important. You want all of your clients to feel like you’re making them a priority and this is one of the easiest ways to show them you are.

Fight the fear
Whether it is fear of rejection or fear of criticism you need to fight that fear. Often times we create self-fulfilling prophecies because we are not able to get past our fears. If it is the fear of rejection you must realize one thing. If you don’t ask the answer is always no. Give yourself a chance and take a chance!  If it is fear of criticism you need to think about the people whose opinion really matter. A lot of us give people power over us that they do not deserve. Take your power back and pick up the phone.