"Give your clients permission to point out what you could do better. Customers will be more willing to open up and explore how you can serve them better. "

Looking at the World Through Your Clients' Eyes

By John Bowen

I have observed that most of us set ourselves up for disappointment by selling from the "inside out." In other words, we look at the world through our own eyes, from our own point of view. We would be much better served if we flipped this equation around to "outside in," so that we view the world through the eyes of our clients.

You can accomplish this by focusing on what your clients really want, using that information to help shape your employees' awareness and becoming totally client-driven with passion. You will be much more successful because you will be doing business your clients' way, giving you a real competitive advantage.

Howard Hyden, an expert in customer service, has spoken on the subject of "inside out and outside in." Here are the three questions Hyden recommends that each business professional ask his or her clients:

1. What is changing in your world? What is going to be different in your business or industry in six months? A year? Two years? You want your clients to articulate the trends that are developing in their businesses, their industries and the worlds they inhabit. This will give you a head start in anticipating their future needs.

2. What do you think our company's strengths are? With this question, you will begin to perceive how clients view you from the outside. You'll be able to see and develop competitive advantages and recognize just where the company can really excel. Write down their answers in the customer's own words, not your words.

3. Is there anything you would change about how we operate or the way we do business?

With these questions, you're looking for weaknesses and areas where your practice can improve. You've given your clients permission to point out what you could do better. Customers will be more willing to open up and explore how you can serve them better. The answers to these three questions should be shared with your employees and the whole business process will become more responsive to your customers as a result.

Next ask your employees: What kind of changes do we need to make in order to give clients what they want? What is the company doing right in your opinion? Where are we not doing so well? Where are our weaknesses? Employees' understanding of what's going right and what's going wrong in the business is often underestimated and their feedback can be phenomenally useful for managers.

After you've gathered, organized and distilled information from your clients, come up with action items and communicate the results back to clients. Let them know that as a result of their feedback, you're doing things differently. Keep everyone in the loop: clients, management, employees and suppliers.

Reprinted from: FINANCIAL PLANNING