Become a Better Strategic Partner by Helping Your Clients Plan

The promotional products industry for decades has bred reactive salespeople. As I have interviewed top performers over the years, one trait seems to surface more times than not. No, it’s not the verbalizing of having “great customer service.” It’s actually putting that statement into practice well beyond what most would consider good customer service.
A couple weeks ago I read a blog post by Seth Godin, a gentleman I consider to have one of the most amazing business minds today. He makes you think (if you choose to do so, and I do). Look at what a portion of his “ What does your brand stand for?” post stated:

“If you tell me about service and quality and customer focus, you haven’t answered my question, because 100 other brands stand for that. If you are what others are, then there’s nothing here to own or protect or build upon. … Are you one-of-a-kind or even one-in-a-million? … A brand that stands for what all brands stand for stands for nothing much.”

In a congested industry where the barrier to entry is lower than ever, it is imperative to go beyond—way beyond—what is deemed “good customer service.” We must constantly be looking at ways, methods and systems that will push the perception of our company as being one-in-a-million.

There are many ways to be different—really different. Today, I want to discuss the idea of helping your clients plan. Yes, be proactive for them in order to become a better strategic partner. Developing an event or planning calendar is one great way to accomplish this. Like you, your clients are incredibly busy, and more times than not, the products and services we offer are an afterthought. How many times have you had a client call you and say they forgot something for an event and ask if you can please help them get it? While this is not completely unavoidable, it can be put at minimum if proper planning comes into play.