Managing Customer Expectations

I just participated in an interesting forum in which a relatively new to the business photographer was venting about annoying customers who impatiently "want their stuff NOW."

Now I fully realize that sometimes customers ARE annoying. But I also realized many years ago that YOU are the one who MANAGES customer expectations.

If you tell people that they will get their pizza in 30 minutes ... then you'd better do that because they EXPECT IT. If you tell them their package will be delivered the next day. Then come hurricane or beach weather, you'd better get it there the next day becasue someone is expecting it.

If you don't tell your customers anything ... they will probably expect it sooner because this is a society of instant gratification.

YOU are the one who sets the expectations
1) on your website
2) in your first phone call
3) in your first face to face meeting
4) and as you see them out the door after their photo session.

I work (consult) with a portrait photographer who takes two weeks to get "anything" to his clients. They know that up front. He is BUSY. And yes, he could do it faster but chooses not to.

I work as a SEO consultant with small website owners. I tell them up front NOT to expect ANYTHING for the first six months. Then they are estatic when something happens sooner! If I told them that they would get results in 30 days and it took 32 ... they would be disappointed.

Manage your customer expectations and then EXCEED them.

If you work with the same clients again ... manage their expectations again ... tell them that LAST time was unusual. Then exceed their expectations again.


ta ta Melanie