There are few industries that didn’t experience a survival mode moment during the pandemic. Some small businesses were able to pivot and thrive while others shuttered their doors or downsized. What was the deciding factor? New client and customer demands. Their needs, and behavior has evolved, and your small business will have to as well.

Now more than ever, the most important area to focus on in your small business is who you are offering your services to, and how to serve them better than anyone else. Data won’t lie, but it also won’t create business relationships. To that end, you’ll be required to level up your communication with your customers for a granular understanding of their needs and what they will be willing to pay to have those needs met.

An exercise to meet new customer needs. While you may have run reports on who your customers are and how to best provide services to them in the past, let’s delve into your customer and client communication. It may sound basic, but these steps will assist you in understanding exactly who you are serving, what they need, want and ultimately, how to create the level of customer loyalty that will in turn make your business profitable for the long term.

Communication is the foundation of all relationships, and that goes for customer relationships too.

To identify who your customer is and what they need, start with this customer and client communication exercise. The goal is to truly know your customer, so this will provide you with a refresh on your perspective of those needs and do away with assumptions so you can provide an offering that will be bought.

1. Listen – Have you ever been in a conversation with someone and you find that you’re speaking over each other, even if in agreement? When you leave that interaction, do you feel seen and heard? The best way to communicate with your clients and customers is to say nothing at all at first. Ask questions to determine what their challenges and pain points are that you can offer solutions for. Be present in your listening, and try not to think of your responses as they express themselves. Give them the time and space to explain what they need, and respond only after you pause to create a more intentional response.
2. Invite feedback – and share it with the rest of your team so they can apply it to your services. Asking for reviews and feedback is a powerful way to enhance your offerings and pivot where required in order to serve your business community on a deeper level. 
3. Acknowledge your customers, even if there is a stall in movement of your transaction. Everyone likes to be seen. If your customer feels invisible they will go where they are seen. Think about your own experience. Say you enter a retail store. Are you greeted by the employee there? Or, are you ignored? Or, are you not acknowledged until the employee is done with a conversation they’re involved in? Consider for a moment that you are the employee and customers are entering your business. You want them to feel welcome and create a sale, correct? It starts with even the smallest gesture of acknowledgement. You don’t have to drop what you’re doing. If you were working in retail, you could at the very least look up from what you’re doing to mention that you’ll be right with them. Those small gestures will lead to ease of conversation. Remember the customer experience is what will ultimately drive your business, and create a sales cycle that feels as though it naturally converts sales from prospects. Client satisfaction occurs during and after the sale. Following up and checking in will illustrate you aren’t just all about the sale, but the service.
4. Be honest. Always. You’d be surprised to learn how many customers you will gain simply by telling them your offering may not be of service to them at that time. That honest phrase instills customer trust, and they usually look to see what other services you offer. If you’re honest with them, they’ll trust your solution.

Your small business was created to serve. Communicating that you know and understand changing client and customer demands, needs, and maintaining thoughtful communication is crucial.

Yes, it’s business, but remember to communicate with humans, like a human. You’ll build trust, customer loyalty, and one sustainable business.

Wishing you good health and wealth always.

-Mike