Harlan has had a few successful years as an insurance salesman, and he’s excited to expand his business. However, he feels his clients don’t truly understand what he does for them, which leads to fewer referrals than he would like. Other than answering questions promptly and performing in-depth interviews to ensure the policies meet the client’s needs, he’s not sure how else to WOW his clients.
Let’s face it: some industries are boring. For example, the only people who think taxes, real estate law, or administrative work is cool are those who work in the industries, and even then, it’s questionable. Of course, these industries are critical and provide lucrative career choices and business opportunities for many.
If your business is in an industry where the client deliverables don’t necessarily speak for themselves, where a lot of the work happens in the background, and where no news is usually good news, it’s still possible to delight your clients. There are many ways to showcase your work; you have to decide what is best for your business. Here are some tips to bring more value and delight your clients, even in a dull industry.
Tip 1: Communicate your effort
When your business involves a lot of behind-the-scenes work, like hours and hours of research, you need to communicate about what you’ve done. One way to achieve this is to outline the research completed, including the dead ends, and then detail why the solution recommended was the best choice. It might seem a bit self-aggrandizing, but it’s effective to communicate the effort you’ve devoted to the work.
Tip 2: Create impressive deliverables
In some situations, such as administrative work or bookkeeping, deliverables aren’t necessary. But that doesn’t mean you can’t create your own. When a client doesn’t expect a report but receives one anyway, this helps showcase your expertise and thoughtfulness—especially when the report is well designed.
Tip 3: Address problems head-on
When the goal is not simply to delight your clients but to help them navigate a tough situation, it’s better to address problems or potential problems directly. This helps take the sting out of a negative situation, and ideally clients will attribute the unpleasantness to the event rather than your business.
Tip 4: Show your excitement
Even if your business is in a boring industry, hopefully you are excited about it! The most boring industries still likely host innovative ideas and interesting opportunities. But if nothing rings your bells industry-wise, show enthusiasm for your personal journey or your business’s achievements. Excitement is contagious, so showcase it!
If you already have a thriving business with happy clients, there isn’t a great pressure to do more for them. While that might be enough to sustain and even grow your business, doing a bit more can elevate your business in your client’s mind. The tips above don’t require a lot of extra effort but pay tremendous dividends long term.
After doing some research online, Harlan decides to implement simple reports for his clients that communicate the behind-the-scenes work, provide an annual review of each client’s policy to gauge any potential changes, and highlight his personal journey through it all. It takes him just minutes for each client but they have been well received. In addition, Harlan has benefited by having another interaction with his clients which resulted in an increase in referrals and thus more money in his pocket.
This article originally appeared on Forbes