6 ways to totally WOW your clients

Want to totally WOW your clients? Do these 6 things

Everybody out there working in a services-based business, raise your hands and say "yeah"!

If you run any sort of services-based business, you’ll know that your clients are everything. They are the ones who sign up for your services, book up space in your calendar, and pay you the big bucks (hopefully). Thanks for that, sweet clients!

One thing that often gets overlooked, I've noticed, is client experience. It’s one thing to render a service and do a job well done. That’s the baseline, the bare minimum to strive for.

What will really set you apart, however, is your ability to deliver a client experience that totally knocks their socks off! Not only will this improve your impression with your clients and your reputation in the industry at large, it often leads to effortless referrals and repeat business. And guess what? It's not rocket science and doesn't have to break the bank!

As some one who designs and builds custom Squarespace websites, I work very closely with my clients during their 2-week project period but most of our communication happens online. I serve them on the daily and we have regular contact but it happens predominantly via email, through a project management tool (like Asana) or the occasional video conference meeting. This all works fine but it still keeps my clients at an arm’s length.

When you deliver a service that is mostly online, there’s hardly any face-to-face interaction with your clients. It’s not always possible to have a meeting at a local coffee shop or go on a brainstorming walk together to get the ideas flowing. When you work online, as I do, it’s much harder to deliver an impressive client experience that leaves them singing your praises.

But fear not, it can be done! I’m sharing 6 ways you can totally wow your clients no matter what type of service you deliver - even if you’ve never met them in person.

Let’s take a look!

1. Communicate quickly

From my own experience, one of the easiest way to make sure your clients love working with you is to stay on top of your email. Your clients will be reassured by your reliable communication and have faith in your process when they know that you’ll actually respond to their emails in a timely fashion.

I know how easy it is to let your inbox pile up with unread messages (I'm sometimes guilty of this myself!) but you’ll set yourself apart by staying on top of client communications. Trust me, your clients will be thrilled when they notice that you actually reply to their questions without a crazy delay.

Now, this doesn’t mean that you have to reply to their emails at all hours of the day and night - hello, ever heard of work/life balance and healthy boundaries? Personally I aim for a 24hour reply time during regular business hours and that works just fine.

2. Show them off

When the project wraps up and you’re at the end of your time with a client, I recommend showing them off to your wider audience. This could be by:

featuring them on your blog (here's a recent example on my blog)
highlighting them on social media (like Rowan Made did for Ready To Pop)
showcasing them on your Instagram stories
adding them as a portfolio case study (like NKPR did for David's Tea)
etc.

Not only does this show them how much you valued their business and the experience of working together, it also gives them some unexpected promotion. These client features are free promotion that also build their backlinks and send traffic to their website or social media channels, all of which are great for SEO. Trust me, they will thank you!

3. Ask for feedback and testimonials

Push out of your comfort zone and ask your clients for feedback once the project wraps up. Ask them how they found the process on their end? What worked well and what could be improved in the future? Was there anything that wasn’t clearly communicated or that they found confusing?

Asking for feedback might feel a little scary or awkward, but it’s a super important thing to do because you want to make sure that you’re serving your valued clients as best as you can.

Once you have your client’s feedback and have confirmation that they liked working with you, now's the time to ask for a testimonial that you can feature on your website. This “client love” provides social proof for potential/future clients and also strengthens your portfolio and services page. I include testimonials for my custom website services, consulting and strategy packages, and weekly newsletter.

Google forms and SurveyMonkey are both easy and free ways to collect client feedback and testimonials, but you could also do it over email if you prefer.

4. Mail them a handwritten note

In this day and age, there’s a real thrill that comes from receiving snail mail. As a service provider, it’s a small and inexpensive gesture that will make your clients smile.

This could be something as simple as a card that says ‘thank you’ for working together, sending your congratulations on their latest launch, or wishing them good luck on the new product they just announced.

I’ve found that sending a handwritten note is especially welcomed when you work short-term with your clients - for example, like I do with my custom website or consulting clients. After our project or time together wraps up, I will often send them a thank you note a few weeks later and it shows my clients how much I valued our time together. This small gesture is memorable and builds and genuine connection.

5. Check in and follow up

Even if it’s been a while since you worked with a client, don’t mean you have to fall off the face of the earth and never speak to them again!

Shoot them a message saying hi and see how things are going on their end. Ask them how they like the product they purchased from you, if they are still getting good results or benefits from a service you provided, or even offer support and encouragement for their latest business news!

Your clients will be flattered and happy to know that you’re still thinking of them and curious to know how they’re doing.

6. Surprise them

Everyone loves a good surprise and lucky for you, they don't always require a lot of planning!

I love to send my clients a small but sweet gift at the end of the year as a way to recognize our work together and thank them for doing business with me. You could also give your clients special access to new products that you’re launching that might be a good fit for them and their business, offer them exclusive access to a clients-only webinar you put on, or send them an article that might help them with one of their goals.

Make your clients feel special by giving them a small but thoughtful surprise when they least expect it.

Final Thoughts

It doesn’t take much to make your clients happy - deliver the service they hired you for and make sure they get the results they expected.

If you want to WOW your clients and make sure they are singing your praises to everyone they know, however, you’ll want to personalize the experience and make sure they know how much you value their business!

There are so many easy and inexpensive way to provide a memorable client experience that set you apart from other players in your industry so why not try one of these tips out today?

Now it’s your turn to tell me, how do you WOW your clients? Do you do any of of the tips above? Have I given you a new idea to try out on your clients? Ready to totally impress them with your thoughtful actions? I’d love to know so leave me a note in the comments below!