Exceeding Clients’ Expectations

As important in today’s economy as ever: taking care of the clients that you have and retaining their business for the future. Now that companies are forced to be as fiscally conservative as they ever have, if service and follow up are not at an all time high, why wouldn’t they look for a more affordable solution to whatever good or service you might be providing?

I found this article on exceeding expectations that serves as a quick refresher on ways to do just that. We all need a gentle reminder of simple solutions to this all important requirement.

Enjoy!
David Lammert

Four Ways to Exceed Clients' Expectations
www.harvardbusiness.org, by: Steve DeMaio

When it comes to pleasing clients, there's no substitute for high-quality work and a cooperative attitude. After all, that's what you're being paid for. But everyone knows that's not the whole story.

Here are a few secrets to surpassing clients' expectations that have worked for me:

1. Agree to a deadline you know you can beat. Clients nearly always appreciate when good work arrives before the due date, because it affords them flexibility. Plus, it shows that you are both efficient and customer-focused. Of course, you shouldn't nudge clients to begrudgingly accept deadlines that don't suit them just so that you can exceed expectations later. But the surprise of early delivery is more memorable than an up-front offer to beat a client's proposed due date.

2. Be an astute questioner, not a silent sage. People often overestimate the value clients place on not being bothered while their work is with a contractor. In fact, asking pointed, proactive questions during the process demonstrates your genuine interest and focus. That doesn't mean nickel-and-diming clients so that they suspect you have obsessive-compulsive disorder. But follow-up that proves you have foresight and a knack for process efficiency sends the reassuring message that while the work is in your hands, there's no need to worry about it. Silence, in contrast, can generate unease. Besides, the occasional question is a pinprick compared with the laceration that a wholesale misinterpretation can later prove to be.

3. Be collegial. "Duh," you're probably thinking. "I'm obviously not going to be rude." But collegiality is less about politeness than about your level of deference. Too much deference, which is what most contractors’ show, makes you seem merely like the hired help rather than a capable complement to the internal staff — and that doesn't inspire confidence. Most clients would rather work with an equal (i.e., a colleague) than a lackey, especially if you're providing expertise. That said: acting like a know-it-all obviously isn't collegial either.

4. Offer constructive suggestions at the end. Every process can be improved, and who better to provide insights than someone who just went through it? If you focus solely on the merits, not on how you would benefit, your ideas for improvement won't sound presumptuous or like complaints. A truly useful suggestion, offered in good faith and with great tact, is one that the client will want to implement, probably with you. Of course, making suggestions as an outsider is a delicate endeavor that requires appropriate circumstances and good social skills. But if you've got both on your side, the payoff can be big.

Be a “F.R.E.A.K.”

I found this fantastic and motivational mantra that I thoroughly enjoyed and wanted to share with you.

Sometimes we get into such a routine that we need to self-motivate in order to achieve outstanding results and maintain our enthusiasm – not just on the job, but in our personal lives as well.
I hope you enjoy the attached and get in touch with your inner FREAK as well.

David Lammert

Wanna be a F.R.E.A.K.?
By: Doyle Slayton @ http://www.salesblogcast.com/

Focus - I have the ability to relentlessly pursue my goals without distraction. It is a laser like focus that launches me to the top of the stack rankings; when negative forces tug at me, my will breaks through.

Results - I produce results that are so extraordinary, it makes others say things like… “How does (s)he do it,” “I’ve never seen anything like it,” “It’s unbelievable!”

Excellence - Let’s pause midway through to make a point. I don’t care how “freaky” I am, if I am not living a life of excellence. Being a superstar means doing the right things. I choose to be a person of high moral standards and integrity.

Activity - The thing that separates me as the best-of-the-best is that I don’t have a stop button. When it’s time to work, I work, and when others need a break… I drive on. I produce freakish results because I am willing to work smarter and harder than everyone else.

Karma - I always have deals just falling in my lap. Every action I take results in a positive reaction. Good things happen to me because it is my assignment to be great. It is my destiny!

Online Resumes?

Traditional resumes are still as necessary as ever, and we’ve dedicated both a section on our website as well as several blogs to this important topic – but with hiring freezes and limited positions available, utilizing technology becomes newly important and can serve as good differentiator and an excellent source of personal branding.

One new technological trend is the “visual curriculum vitae” or Visual CV. Most resumes include a section where the applicant summarizes their experience. A visual CV is a summary of these experiences in visual form via an internet web site (a recording of their work, activities and other events that they believe would be important to a potential employer). Along with this visual section, a text based accompaniment would be placed on a web page for marketing oneself to all potential employers.

There are several web sites that allow individuals to post their information. Some require payment and provide assistance in publishing your information, others are free of charge and with a moderate amount of technological experience, and the average computer user can post the information themselves.

Attached is an article I found of interest on the subject. Enjoy!

David Lammert

Visual Resumes - Do You Have Yours?
Abridged: www.careeralley.com

The job hunting world is continually changing, driven primarily by advancements in technology and leveraging the Internet. We’ve seen the world of snail mail and “pounding the pavement” replaced by emails, job boards and hundreds of job posting sites. One of the more recent additions to the job search world is the introduction of “visual resumes”. This relatively new twist on job search is still in its infancy and it’s not clear yet how popular this trend will become, but time will tell.

So what is a visual resume? It is an online professional marketing brochure or “personal web-based brand”. Rather than sending your Word or text resume to potential employers, you would direct them to your web-based resume. This is a new wild card and those who are creative are likely to create the most “eye catching” resumes. For those who are ready to give this a try, there are a few of options available. Today’s post will review some visual resume sites and resources.

VisualCV - We can’t cover this topic without reviewing VisualcCV.com which, as best I can tell, is the best known visual resume site. The site offers a tour as well as examples. The tour gives an overview of how to create your visual resume and what is generally included. You can embed almost any type of media as well as hyperlinks to your personal website or social site profile (like LinkedIn). The service is free. It is worth looking at the examples before creating your own visual resume as they will give you some ideas as to what might work best for you.

NavAgility - This site helps you create a social timeline which, in today’s example, would be a resume timeline. The site provides background on “What’s in it for me” and “How does it Work” as well as providing an example of a CareerPath Timeline (resume timeline). The look and feel of NavAgility’s CareerPath Timeline is more graphical and less of an online marketing brochure. Using the example provided, you view a career timeline and can click through the details to see additional information. It’s an interesting format, although my personal preference is the format used by VisualCV.

Visual Resume - This site was created on Ning.com and provides an alternative way to create a visual resume. Basically, you create a visual resume using slideshare.net and use this site to embed your virtual resume. Since Ning.com enables the creation of your own social network, my assumption is that this site will become a repository for visual resumes and another visual resume alternative.

Prepare to Hire

Things seem to be looking up (at least the economists seem to believe so) and it appears that consumer confidence is gaining steam. May’s consumer confidence index was as its highest level since September 2008. With that in mind, I wanted to spend a moment discussing the pent up demand in the labor market – people out there who have been looking to make a change, are unhappy with their current position, but have not been willing to take any risks amidst the recession. As we turn the financial corner in our economy, companies who have personnel needs and have put them off due to hiring freezes will need to become prepared so they can take advantage of the top players who will suddenly be willing to make a change and leap at the right opportunity.

I found the attached article very interesting and hope that you do as well.

Enjoy!
David Lammert

Sign of Economic Recovery: Businesses That Are Restless to Hire
Abridged CIO, By: Meridith Levinson

Business demand for new talent will rebound before consumer and business demand for goods and services, says executive recruiter Chuck Pappalardo. He expects companies to get restless for new talent (and new business) by the end of the year.

Everyone wants the recession to be over, but we all know our economic troubles aren't going to pass anytime soon. Pappalardo has experienced several economic boom-and-bust cycles during his 25 year career in the search business. As such, he gets wind of indicators that signal immanent economic recovery before the rest of us.

Pappalardo thinks we could start seeing signs of an economic recovery by the end of 2009. The indication will be companies that are once again ready to fill strategic positions. Demand for people will bounce back before consumer and business demand for goods and services, he says.

"Businesses really can't go long periods of time without new people," says Pappalardo. "A year is really stretching it. Businesses get old and stale if there aren't people turning, if there aren't new ideas."

In other words, businesses are going to get cabin fever from having hunkered down so long. They're going to get restless to start making money again. Pappalardo says these companies will realize that they need to hire people—particularly in sales, marketing and possibly also R&D—to move forward and win new customers. (The new hires in IT won't happen until the new people in sales, marketing and R&D starting making demands for technology, he says, and supply chain is likely to be the first area in IT that gets a boost.)

I'm aware that Pappalardo's theory on economic recovery sounds like a pitch for executive search services, but his ideas about hiring as a leading economic indicator are based on businesses' behavior during previous downturns:

"2003 was a very difficult year in executive search," says Pappalardo. "At the end of the first quarter and beginning of the second quarter in 2004, we saw a significant amount of search activity—a lot in sales. Businesses began to feel in 2004 like there might be some progression if they could hire, so they did, and we took on a bunch of [search] projects around sales and marketing. Then it seemed like nothing else [went on] for the rest of the year. Companies were forming a [hiring] base to move forward… 2005 was a much better year." When companies begin making and implementing hiring plans, it demonstrates their confidence that things are getting better and their desire to make money. And by making money, businesses help improve the economy.