I recently flew to San Diego to visit a potential strategic partner. Before arriving, the firm sent me a detailed agenda about the busy schedule of meetings and events. They even included instructions about my hotel reservations and airport pickup. In fact, the airport pickup was one of the most memorable parts of the trip.
Included in my itinerary was the contact information for my driver named Tom. He was delayed a little, but moments after the wheels hit the runway, I received a text from Tom. He told me exactly where to find him at the airport arrivals area. When I got to the designated spot, an impeccably dressed middle-aged man came over to me, introduced himself as Tom and said: “Kyle, I’ve heard great things about you. Let me help you with your bag.” A few minutes later, we arrived at Tom’s luxury SUV, and he drove me directly to my first meeting at the firm’s offices. During the half hour drive, Tom told me how much he enjoyed working with the firm over the past 15 years. He was very personable and a great storyteller, but he was clearly selling me on the organization and helping to build a relationship with me before I even arrived at my first meeting.
The meetings went well that day, but I couldn’t stop thinking about my encounter with Tom and how comfortable he made me feel before the meetings began.
My point is that every single person at your firm can make a great impression on your clients.
How often do we have clients sitting in our lobby and we’re not paying close attention to them when they arrive? I’m sure someone asks them, “How can I help you?” when they arrive and tell you who their appointment is with. But if that’s the end of the interaction, it’s not making the client feel especially welcome, is it?
Instead, suppose your front-desk attendant knew in advance the name of every client arriving on a particular day and who they were scheduled to see? Suppose your attendant came around from behind the desk, shook the client’s hand, and said, “You must be Jerry. It’s great to see you. Your meeting with Melissa is at 1 p.m. I’ll let her know you’re here. Can I get you anything to drink?”
That’s a substantially better client experience, with almost no additional effort on your firm’s part. You’re simply using the most important two words in the English language — the client’s name. You’re letting them know you’re expecting them and that your colleague is excited to meet with them.
It starts on the front lines
Is it really that hard to greet clients this way? Of course not. Every single person at your firm has an opportunity to change the experience your client is having with your organization. Does your front line (driver or receptionist, etc.) have the schedule of who’s coming in and when? If they don’t, you’re missing a huge opportunity.
Put yourself in the client’s shoes. They’re paying your firm thousands of dollars a year to help them with a critical, personal matter: their finances. They’ve put their trust in you, but when they arrive at your office, they get an impersonal “May I help you?” greeting. How does that make them feel? Clients are probably thinking to themselves: “If you didn’t even know I was coming and couldn’t put that on your calendar, how do you think you can help me run my business?”
But if the first person your client sees upon arrival comes out from behind their desk, greets them by name, shakes their hand, and asks if they can get them a beverage while the conference room is being set up, they immediately feel at home. It tells them it’s a firm that cares about them and pays attention to details. Trust me, word gets around.
Three essentials for greeting clients
You don’t need to pick clients up in a professionally driven town car. But your front desk is your front line. It’s where you set the tone for the meeting. Here are three must-dos:
- Come around the desk, shake hands, and smile.
- Greet clients by name.
- Confirm the meeting time and ask if you can get them anything to feel more comfortable. If you know what each client likes to drink, have that beverage waiting for them when they arrive.
Once when we asked a client what we could get him, he requested Coke Zero. I noted that we didn’t have any Coke Zero on hand. On the client’s next visit, we had a chilled can of Coke Zero waiting for him, and he was thrilled. How much did that cost us? For about a dollar, we made a client feel special and he’s been with us for years and years.
How do you make clients feel appreciated? I’d love to hear from you.
