Clients Are a Gift Never to Be Taken for Granted

Nervous, excited, apprehensive or comfortable. Those are some of the emotions people can feel when they finally get back to doing something they were used to – things that may have been impacted by the pandemic. Yesterday, for the first time in over a year, I boarded an airplane headed for a broadcaster convention. My wife asked me, “What did you forget? You’re out of practice.”

Onboard my Delta flight, Ed Bastian, Delta CEO, came on the monitor, and with his signature warm smile greeting us, said, “Welcome back. We realize that travel and our guests are a gift, never to be taken for granted.” From a free upgraded seat, to the warm greetings by name from the flight crew, any nervousness I had disappeared and I felt like I belonged.

During a recent RAB Leadership Master Class, one of the managers was sharing the success of getting a big advertiser back on the air – finally. The advertiser told them that one of the main reasons they came back to this particular company was because they stuck with them even when they weren’t spending money. “Other companies vanished when we had to cancel, but you kept calling, checking in, and kept providing updates and relevant information. We felt like you really cared.”

To borrow and slightly modify from Ed Bastian’s video:

Your clients are a gift, never to be taken for granted.

As things begin to slowly move to our new normal, do your clients know that you care? Like my flight, many may want to get back on the air, but might be apprehensive and nervous about whether business conditions will allow them to have the resources. Are you prepared to welcome them back? Help them feel comfortable? Here are three things you can do to assist them in the transition:

1. Call to say thank you and tell them how much you value them, whether they are back on the air now or not.

2. Stay in contact with those on hiatus and continue to provide business intelligence and resources to help them.

3. When struggling businesses come back, welcome them, reassure them and stay close to make sure they maintain comfort.

The consistent theme here is that people do business with people. People are more likely to do business with people they feel care about them – not just the sale. Whether your clients are ready to come back or not, it’s been a brutal time. Knowing that you care and knowing that you’re still here to provide help and support whether they are spending money or not, will help you maintain their loyalty, trust and eventually, their business.

Jeff Schmidt is the SVP of Professional Development. You can reach him at Jeff.Schmidt@RAB.com. You can also connect with him on Twitter and LinkedIn.