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Empowering the Customer

Written by: Greg Gaskill

Article Overview: Explaining your services, and why they are needed, is as important as the product you are offering.

Empowering the Customer

Working in the field of SEO, I do get my fair share of calls or requests for quotes for those who know relatively little about the industry and view it as, seemingly, "black magic" performed by unwashed brainy geeks in their dingy basement. I could easily play this into my hands, essentially "wow" the customer with overly-technical jargon they might not understand in some attempt to keep them in the dark and get them to bite on our expertise and simply hope we know what we're doing...but I don't.

While the "how" and even "what" of SEO can be pretty complicated and confusing to the inexperienced, the "why" isn't if explained well. In fact, the "why" (not as in "why use SEO" but "why use certain SEO strategies in particular cases") is simply a measure of understanding a company's business model, their industry, and the desired goals they have. Once I investigate a case and begin to make recommendations, I openly discuss and explore the "why" in the case of an individual client so they understand my rationale but most importantly can connect the dots themselves and feel better about making a final decision. Depending on their familiarity with SEO as a whole, I'm willing to walk them down the path of explaining everything in deeper detail, but I want every customer to at least know WHY we're doing x, y, and z...and make them feel more knowledgeable and comfortable in the process.

This approach of course can and should be used for a myriad of different kinds of business and industries. If a customer wishes to contract or hire you for your services, chances are they don't know your area of expertise very well at all, or in the very least don't have the time to commit to it themselves (and most times when a customers cites the latter, the former is in play to an extent as well). As you begin to assess an individual situation and the time is right to deliver a proposal, be willing to disclose with the customer as much as they're willing to hear about the "why"; not so much to justify the costs, but to help walk them through finalization by keying them in your thought and work process. It will add value to what you already do, and help release any apprehension felt by the customer.

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Article Tags: black magic, business model, div, dots, endif, fair share, fareast, footer, geeks, gte, level 1, mso, orphan, page break, paper source, rationale, seo, style definitions, technical jargon, times new roman



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Re: Two Useful Books To Help You Focus On The CLIENT - Hi David, To add to your thread, I'd like to recommend Jonathan Tisch's "Chocolates On The Pillow Aren't Enough: Reinventing The Customer Experience". Tisch's book includes content on "Welcoming Customers", "The New Art of Customization", "The Challenges of Customer Diversity" and "Offering Something Extra to Your Customers" to name a few.
Re: Paypal process $315 million in payments per day. - I agree with you David, their Customer relations suck. This mean other payment systems like 2CO and WORLDPAY should work on their customers relations to take more slice of the market.
Re: Welcome to Entrepreneur University! - Hi Evan and GT, Can you clarify? If you join the "Preferred Customer" you are not entitled to commission? Why? This is the the $79.95/month account, I don't understand why you are not getting commission from it?
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Marketers, Learn What You Can, Cannot Control Online - I am a Customer Service Representative in my company so naturally every once and a while I get angry customers fed up with my companies policies. Oh! I remember one day on my way home from school I was walking by a gas station and there was a man with a huge cardboard sign outside a small car mechanic business telling people not to go there because they are crooks. I am pretty sure they lost tons of business. I know my mama kept away from there after I told her about it. I found it pretty funny. I wonder if the guy got arrested or fined though....


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