All too often I see and hear that clients are perceived as being pesky or “they just don’t get it”… my question to you is “how are you explaining things, and what solutions are you presenting them.” It’s important to keep these basic tips in mind when communicating with clients – Be Clear. Keep it Simple. Be Responsive.

When we confuse or overwhelm our clients with jargon, or any insider terms, it’s neither appreciated nor productive. The more often that you persist on presenting ideas or solutions to a client in a manner that is absolutely not viewed from their side of things, the more often it will result in the same issues coming up time and again – ergo unproductive. And if you consider your time to be worth something, drowning your clients in jargon is also costly (to you and them).

I completely understand that when you work in an environment, and have so for a long time, that you get caught up in the lingo. It happens. However, it is important not to get lost or caught up in only that. Do what ever you need to ensure that you can fully empathize with someone on the receiving end.

Personally, I have enjoyed working in both environments. I started out in non-profit where I worked with a fundraising database (superb platform, ROI Solutions *small plug for them*) and later work with that same company teaching others how to use and get the most out of their database. The experience of having been both a user and then an account manager has been priceless. But I digress…

My point is this;

Be Clear. Present your clients with straight-forward answers and questions, but don’t trivialize their concerns. Think on their behalf and please think before your respond.

Keep it Simple. As a professional and an expert in any field the key to good client relations is to convey what you do in a simple manner. It is also important, especially in the service industry, to teach someone how to use what you offer. How does that old saying go … give someone a fish and they’ll eat for a day, teach someone to fish and they’ll eat the rest of their life (or something to that effect)…you get my point.

Be Responsive. Another key customer service practice is to be responsive, and when possible (I know we all have ESP so this one should be no problem) anticipate their needs. This goes back to advocating and thinking on your clients’ behalf. Trust me, this goes a long way.

So whether you are doing a training with a client or putting together an email response, whatever the scenario, keep this in mind – Be Clear. Keep it Simple. and Be Responsive.

If you had to guess what the ONE most important tool was in online marketing, what would you say? Your analytics tool, or other software? Your fans and followers, or your networking groups? I won’t make you guess too hard….it’s YOU. Think about it. The obvious fact is that you are the one who writes and shares content, and that you, you and you combined form a niche or community…none of which would exist without YOU.

It is possible for change to start with you. I know it sounds corny (I guess that’s part of my schtick here, and also my non-profit background showing), but it’s true. People so often wonder whether what they say gets heard at all. Well its not always about being heard and you don’t always feel the immediate impact of your work. But it sure is pretty cool when you do catch a wave of it. Like this blog post written by a fellow local SEO company about the fact that Social Media is not always a planned or guaranteed success, which happens to mention how one person can in fact (sometimes accidentally) spark something that has a ripple effect that has the power to transform our communities and the world, as we know it.

At the beginning of the year I wrote a post about goals for the year ahead and that community involvement needs to be a big priority. I am always a big proponent of sharing and advocating the work of others, especially work that you believe in…and sometimes that act of kindness is returned.

Happy Friday everyone.

Are you wondering if what you write is in some way a total turn off to people? You are not alone, many of us do… Wondering whether what we write or do has any effect at all?

Well, here are some tips on what to do and what not to do.

Blogging best practices:

• Keep it simple. Don’t overwhelm your readers with an anthology. Short and sweet will do.
• Communicate regularly, weekly at least.
• Communicate through various mediums. It’s good for people to see you on other trusted sites.
• Thank people!
• Do something without expecting anything in return.
• Link to other sites.
• Solicit feedback.
• Offer information that your readers want to hear. Something that benefits them.
• Leave comments on other blogs without mentioning your business. This is a great piece of advice from pro-blogger Chris Brogan, who says

If your post is about a specific industry or relates to other great blogs, find a recent blog post that has related information. (Now, this is different than what you MIGHT normally do, so pay attention). In the URL part of the sign-up form, put the link to your post, not your blog in general. In the comment body, don’t talk about your amazing post. Just offer genuine commentary on the post you read, and share your thoughts and ideas. Repeat: don’t mention the post. (If your comment is great and worthy, people will click through and check it out.)

Nine Ways to Promote Your Blog Posts, Aug 2008

Here are some thing you may not want to do, as they indeed may turn off some readers. You should try to keep the following in mind.

What not to do:

• Don’t talk only about yourself or your products.
• Don’t write about the same thing over and over without changing the theme or message. People will get bored, and/or think you are a spammer and tune you out.
• On that note, don’t spam.
• Don’t bash other people or companies. It’s not nice. Remember, if you don’t have anything nice to say then you might as well not say anything at all.
• Don’t use bad humor and don’t be “un-PC” in bad taste.
• Don’t mislead your readers.

While it’s still fun and ok to show a personality, everyone does appreciate a welcoming and professional atmosphere. The more you follow these tips, the more people will come to trust and respect what you have to say. Trust is a huge factor in whether or not people will follow you. Just like any basic relationship, you don’t start out being trusted, you have to earn that trust. Assume that people know nothing about you. Establish yourself as an authority on a subject, without bashing your readers over the head with it.

Hope this helps. If there is anything that I forgot to mention or you think is an absolute must, then please do let me know.

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