Itâs official: nobody likes a robotic entrepreneur. Whether youâre just starting out in your business or youâve been established for some time, thereâs a chance youâve either started going through the motions or youâre neglecting your emotions in favour of âgood business senseâ. The truth is, though, that many clients will appreciate you more if you run your business in a more âhumanâ way; if you show emotion and personal understanding, you might attract more business. Hereâs how you can get that human touch. Personalise your office Your work environment not only says a lot about who you are as a person, but it can also change your mood. If you create a more personalised workspace, youâd be surprised how much that can make you not only come across as more human but feel more emotionally engaged with your work. There are lots of ways to do this, from small to big. You could create your own personalised calendar, for example, to tailor your schedule to you. The possibilities here are endless. Hire the right staff If youâre hiring the wrong staff, itâll send a message to your clients that youâre not interested in their wellbeing. Your staff could be the most talented individuals around, but if theyâre too ruthless or money-minded, your clients will feel like youâre not personally invested in them. Of course, you should be paying attention to prospective employeesâ acumen during the interview process. Still, thereâs more to consider than just whether theyâve got the skills youâre after. Work around your clients Inflexible business owners donât come across well to clients. Flexibility is crucial not only within your organisation itself but externally as well. If a client absolutely cannot pay an invoice in the moment but theyâre definitely solvent for it and can pay in a specified time frame, donât panic; instead, let them know thatâs OK, but youâd rather this wasnât a regular occurrence. Building trust is far more important than absolutely insisting on the hardline every single time. Always be around Nobodyâs advocating for you to literally not stop working – thatâs an unhealthy mindset and could cause you actual damage. Nevertheless, while youâre in your established work hours, you should always be available for clients to talk to and sound off to. If thereâs a query or a complaint that needs to be dealt with, make sure you – or your customer services staff, if youâve got some – are around to hear it. Not being listened to makes clients think you donât care. Understand who your clients are When you first get a new client, it can be a little intimidating as you start to figure out who they are and what exactly they want from you. Building a relationship with them will involve chatting, finding common ground, and building compromise. If you know who your clients are, youâll increase repeat business; having a good relationship means theyâll come back to you because they know you know who they are and what their desires are. Be engaged A business never got a reputation for being human by simply nodding and smiling. Debate with your clients; be assured, but not combative; tell them your ideas and hear theirs, and have a full and frank exchange. If youâre constantly talking to your clients about their ideas and how you could improve them, then youâll look engaged and emotionally on board with the ideas theyâre bringing. Thatâs much better than simply accepting all your work and getting on with it in a rudimentary way. Maintain a social media presence Everyone loves a good, well-thought-out social media marketing presence. Companies who do social media marketing right are funny, engaged, and well-presented on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram (among others). These companies will talk to their followers on a personal level and make sure theyâre happy. Sometimes itâs hard to get wins on social media, especially if somethingâs happened to your business to give you a negative reputation, but itâs also a great salve. Have a moral compass Itâs okay to have a moral compass when it comes to running a business. Having strong, repeatedly reinforced moral values about how you do your business and what kind of clients you work with will not only attract the right clients but also attract the right staff. You may have heard good business leaders are ruthless, but this simply isnât the case, or at least it doesnât have to be. If you want to get by in the world of business, itâs important to know where you personally draw the line. Itâs not always about the money Sometimes, a particularly difficult sale or complex client may mean youâre not making the profit out of a sale that you want to. Thatâs okay – you should still make the sale (most of the time). Building a relationship with your client is more important than your bottom line, and when that client is riding high and looking for people who did right by them when they were struggling, theyâll come to you. Obviously, you still need to think about profit, but make sure thatâs not all youâre thinking about. Talk to your clients regularly If youâre a customer-facing business, it definitely pays to send out regular surveys (as long as youâre not too regular and annoying with them) to gauge your customersâ satisfaction with your operation. What could you be doing better? Are your customers or clients satisfied? Finding this out means you can be more prepared for the future, and it means you care about not only how to increase business but how to retain the business youâve already got.
