Good Manners Equals Good Business

The century-old rule of "treat people how you want to be treated" has time and time again proven its truth to me. In an earlier post, I once talked about how showing people that you're thinking of them and dropping a client a nice note is a better way to market than to send out mass postcards or emails (see post title "That Fuzzy Feeling" from August). In truth, I started writing these little "thinking of you" notes because I received one personally from someone I was doing business with. And it made me feel reassurred that I had chosen right company.

Recently, I ran into a client situation where good manners and courtesy came through for me again. I had been working on an account with a client and was sure to treat them as I do all my other accounts: with prompt responses, efficient work paces and thorough communication. Without much warning, another designer had offered a proposal for the project I had already been hired for, and had been working on for about 8 weeks. Confused about the new possible direction, versus the current one I was working on, the client wanted to think about which designer they'd like to continue to work with.

While some designers may have become frustrated and impatient, I told myself to empathize with my client. To let them know that I was surely there for them if they wanted my help and that I would continue to do my best to offer them prompt communication and quality work, should they choose to stay with me. Being a graphic designer, we are often critisized for having egos and thinkig our work is always the better than the next artist's. I wanted to avoid this stereotype as best as possible and continued to tell my client that while I offered them a solution that I thought worked best for their current objectives, we could definitely work together and discuss a new approach to take. I wanted them to be happy and satisfied with not only the design they were choosing, but with the designer as well. Sure enough, my empathy for the client helped me out. The client chose to stay with me, I was sure to say thank you for their continued busienss, and we've moved on to the next phase of the project.

By no means is this post to display the client in a poor light. It is simply one of many examples when good manners, courtesy, and understanding can get you through a rough patch with an account. In all truthfulness, and not to sound corny, I truly feel that the client relationship is stronger and healtheir for having communicated to openly and effectively.