Services are invisible. For the most part, you cannot see, hear, taste, or touch them before you buy. The service industry, however, is hardly invisible it is real and all around you. The difference between selling a service and selling a product is, when you sell a service, you sell a promise. Your clients cannot immediately evaluate what you are giving them; only time and overall performance will tell.
Clients don’t always know if they need your service in the first place. Clients aren’t even sure what your service costs, since the price will vary depending on the time and extent of the service rendered. If you continue to sell your service as if it were a product – focusing on the features or benefits instead of the relationship between you and your customer – you will continue to underachieve. Likewise, if you continue to sell your product without a good service instinct, you will not be able to distinguish your product from others just like it.
Why do clients come to you?
Clients only come to you for services because they cannot or will not perform the service themselves. In many cases, clients will start on your website with no knowledge of what is required, but that’s why they came to you in the first place. So don’t try to fill their heads with all the job’s details. They won’t understand. Instead, focus on filling them with the confidence that you and your company are the right people for the job.
The goal is to make them feel that you are capable of performing the task. Build a relationship with your prospect. This will assuage their fears about the invisible service that they want to purchase. They will know if they feel valued by you, and if you care enough to go the extra mile. These are the things that weigh most heavily in clients’ decisions about whether or not to use you or your company.
Remember, in your clients’ minds, they come first – their feelings, gut reactions, and thought patterns. Too many service marketers think that their service comes first. Concentrate less on trying to make your clients want your service and more on making them feel wanted.
Things to Avoid in the Service Industry
- The Assumption that everything is Fine: When you begin to market your service, don’t take anything for granted. Ask the tough questions that probe the very foundation of the company. Is the company in the right business? Is it staffed properly? Is the service useful?
- Competitive Strategy: Your true competitors are not necessarily other companies –= often they are prospects.
- The Pricing Obsession: Pricing is hard to figure out and far less logical than many people think. When you set your price, watch your customers’ reaction. If no one complains, chances are it’s too low. If everyone complains, it’s too high.
- Silence: If someone isn’t complaining, it doesn’t mean they are satisfied. In fact, in a service relationship, it may mean that your customer is dissatisfied. Most people don’t like conflict. They will suffer for a while in silence, then disappear.
- Forgetting Trust: Service customers aren’t necessarily looking for the best or most skillful provider. They are looking for a relationship with someone they can trust. It’s important to be good at what you do, but it’s more important to be good at who you are.
