Not too long ago, Steven said “we should make a list of all the things that we really WANT right now and then prioritize it to see if any of those things are things we can get this year.” One of the things on my list was a haircut. Silly, I know, but I haven’t had one since last April when I was 6 months pregnant with Lily.
Steven looked at me and said that doesn’t count. Because it’s a service. Plus, his mom can do it for me for free. You know what I came back with?
“But honey, it’s more than just the haircut. It’s the experience of going to the hair salon. They ask about your life, and they wash your hair and massage your scalp, and then they cut your hair the way you like and then they style it. You feel like a rock star when you leave. Plus, your mom isn’t offended if I get my hair cut down here!”
I was ready. I was ready to fight for this, because it was important to me – even more so now that I’m a mom and I honestly don’t get a lot of time out of the house ALONE to do something fun for ME. Not because I need to do it.
Then it occurred to me, our clients may not ever come out and say it, but client experience is important.
They will ALWAYS remember how you made them feel.
Recently I posted a question about how to make something I do for my clients even better, and I got a lot of opinions that really made me question myself. I thought, “maybe I should stop doing this.” And then I heard Carrie Swails in the back of my mind to do what works for me, and not follow the rules of the industry.
When I look at my thank-you board full of sweet notes from my couples, they all talk about how I made them feel. Yes, delivering incredible photos is SO important. But my couples are inviting me to be an intimate part of their wedding day. One of the biggest days they’ll experience. It’s so important for them to know that they are so much more than a paycheck to me. They MATTER.
I always want to create a client experience that makes them feel like they are important, and that they matter, and that I’m going to take good care of them.
If you are a small business owner, I think you should create this experience too. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking it has to be gifts or anything fancy. I could not afford that when I first started out. Something as simple as a note here and there will be so meaningful!
So, I want to encourage you today to take a look at your client experience from start to finish and make sure that it’s really focused on them. Because if we’re being honest, without them your business wouldn’t exist.
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