I try to notice trends in what my clients are facing. Last week presented a trend I couldn’t help but notice: Three of my clients were tired, frustrated, and struggling to please customers’ shifting and very challenging demands. My clients weren’t happy. Their team members weren’t happy. Their customers weren’t happy. No matter what my clients tried to do to please their challenging customers, it wasn’t enough. My clients’ team members were burning out. Team members were starting to quit – and leave without notice! My clients were getting desperate.
My clients weren’t happy. Their team members weren’t happy. Their customers weren’t happy…Team members were burning out… My clients were getting desperate.
Their challenging, high-volume customers weren’t happy and they were disappointing other customers who also wanted more from them. With it being nearly impossible to hire additional team members, a loss of just one team member is felt more deeply than ever before. As ‘Cara’, one of my clients said, “If we lose any more team members, we won’t be able to service these customers any more!” After Cara said that, I asked her, “What would happen if you DON’T service your most challenging customers in the future?”
What would happen if you don’t service your most challenging customers in the future?
Your initial reaction to that question may be similar to Cara’s: “Well, our revenue would take a major hit. We’d lose a lot of money. We might not survive!” Yeah, but that’s short-term. What if you started to establish a revenue stream now to replace the current revenues generated by your most challenging customers? What if you provided opportunities for your frustrated team members to work with customers who love you and are easy to work with? What if you created a better work environment for your team by creating deeper engagements with customers who love you?
What if you created a better work environment for your team by creating deeper engagements with customers who love you?
As we talked further, Cara became increasingly excited as we outlined how to reach out to current customers who love her and her team, who want more from them, and who would view Cara as a godsend when she called to offer services to them – in the future. Cara and her team need time to ramp up the new and expanded engagements, and wind down the challenging ones. However, she and my other clients are working out ways to transition team members to new lines of business with other current clients who are easy, fun, and profitable.
Win – Win – Win.
Copyright MMXXII – Liz Weber, CMC, CSP – Weber Business Services, LLC – www.WBSLLC.com +1.717.597.8890
Liz supports clients with strategic and succession planning, as well as leadership training and executive coaching. Learn more about Liz on LinkedIn!