By Duncan Manley, Christian & Small Partner
Do not take your clients for granted. This reminds me of a story told from the pulpit of a church in Tennessee.
The owner of a home went to the office of a real estate agent to list his house for sale. He was invited into the agent’s office, and just as the man was about to describe his house to the agent, the telephone rang. The agent said, “I have to take this call. Here is some paper and a pen. Please write out a description of your house.” The man began to commit the virtues of his home to paper, but then suddenly stopped and got up to leave. The agent stopped his telephone conversation long enough to ask the man why he was leaving. He replied, “As I was describing my house, I realized I always wanted a house like that. The prospect of losing it made me realize that I had just been taking it for granted.” The man left with a greater appreciation for what he had.
So do you take your clients for granted? I stress to new and long-time Christian & Small clients that we are honest in our billings, that we are aware that they have other options, that we will work hard to please them and that we will religiously follow their guidelines. I promise to communicate with them on a regular basis and treat them as I would want to be treated if I was the client.
If you think about it, there is really nothing extraordinary about these commitments. They are entitled, as paying clients, to be served in this manner. If we fail in these commitments, we will lose the business. It is that simple.