“If you make a sale, you can make a living. If you make an investment of time and good service in a customer, you can make a fortune.” -Jim Rohn
One of the things I pride myself on is being client-focused and serving my clients really well.
As you might already know, I come from a service background (10 years waiting tables and working in bars while I did the acting thing!). I love service, it’s one of my values, and I also happen to think it’s an important part of business that we don’t talk about enough!
We talk about marketing and sales, but not about how we’re showing up and serving those very people we’re making offers to.
One place I see service drop off is during what I call the ‘after party.’ But we all know the real party happens at the after-party, right? And it’s the same with our businesses.
It’s AFTER we sell a product or service that the party gets going and we have a massive opportunity to show up and serve our clients and customers well.
Directly after a sale is also when that buyer’s remorse or fear can really sink in. Showing up to take good care of our people at this time is critical if we want to avoid returns, cancellations, and no shows.
Most of us are just so dang happy we’ve got a new client, we skip this phase and go right to our own personal celebration party. But this is where we get to show up, show we care, and over deliver! By the way, over delivering doesn’t have to mean overworking, it’s just going above and beyond and taking the time to be thoughtful and go that extra step.
If we bring this back to waiting tables, it’s bringing someone a chocolate with their bill, going back to check on them an extra time to make sure their food requirements were met, or going out of your way to find something they need that will make their experience better. If you've ever been on the receiving end of this, you know, these small gestures can change everything.
I want to invite you to shift your mindset out of ‘closing a sale’ and into serving and KEEPING clients and customers.
So how do you throw a good after party?
It doesn’t have to take a ton of time or cost you a lot of money. This is about adding small, personal touches that serve our clients and make them feel welcome AFTER they’ve purchased from us.
Here are a few of my favorite ways…
7 Ways to Serve Your Clients After The Sale
1.Send a personal note saying ‘thanks’. This can be snail mail or email.
I love when I buy something online that comes with a little thank you note tucked into the packaging. This small, thoughtful gesture goes a long way!
2. Give a bonus they weren’t expecting.
Who doesn’t love buying something only to find out you get an unexpected gift along with it?
I love sending my clients bonus trainings or giving them extra sessions from time-to-time as a way to say, thank you, and let me take care of you.
3. Send a welcome packet or welcome email sequence.
There’s nothing worse than buying something and then not really knowing what to expect, when you’re going to get it, or if your payment even went through!
Most of us in the online space stop at our thank you pages. But taking the extra step to welcome in new customers or clients with a message of some sort is such a great way to serve our clients. This makes them feel welcome right away and keeps the excitement alive. This also gives people something tangible while they wait for their package to arrive or your program to begin.
4. Send a gift.
This is another one of my favorites. I love sending my VIP clients a thoughtful, hand-picked gift in the mail that they aren’t expecting. This is such a lovely way to show our clients that they’re welcomed and appreciated and not just another sale.
5. Give a shout out.
This one doesn’t cost any money and can go a long way. Giving new clients or customers a public shout out online can be a great way to acknowledge and make our people feel special.
This isn’t something I do often because of the confidential nature of my work, but I’ve seen it done really well. Shouting out members online after they join your programs can make them feel welcomed and wanted, and it gets the added benefit of making other people want the same special attention!
6. Ask for feedback.
This is such an important one if we want to continue to uplevel our services and products. This is also where we get those beautiful testimonials from!
7. Have another offer.
This is the ultimate after party in our business. After someone has bought a product from us or invested in our services, they already know, like, and trust us and are more likely to buy from us again. The question is, do we have anything ready for them that they want?
This isn’t something we want to hustle to create at the start of our business, but beginning to think about that next-level offer we can invite existing clients into is a great way to continue to serve.
If we relate this back to waiting tables, this is having dessert to offer after an amazing meal.
So, let’s all remember that the real party is what happens at the after party and that serving our clients and customers doesn’t stop at the sale! That’s only an opportunity to open the door wider and show up and serve. This doesn’t have to cost money, it doesn’t have to be over the top, this isn't about overworking or burning out, but small touches go a long, long way.
Wishing you your version of success!
P.S. Ready to kick your service up a notch and make more money doing what you love? I thought so! I’d love to support and serve YOU! Click here to learn more about working together and schedule a free coaching consultation!
