Put Your Clients First

Sanger & Eby Design has unusual approaches to serving their clients. Want to become a customer-centric organization? The firm's principals offer these tips:

1. Listen. The principals say they don't march into a meeting with a set idea of what the client needs. Instead, they have great respect for their clients' experiences and closely listen to what they say they need.
2. Stay true to your word. The firms always meet their deadlines and deliver the scope of work they promised-and often try to do even more than they committed to.
3. Make up for your mistakes. Even if an error is the vendor's fault, the firms say they'll pay to have a piece reprinted or make up the cost the next time a project comes along.
4. Work with the decision-makers. Corporate bureaucracy can waylay a project. Finding out who the top decision-makers in the company are and asking to work with them as the project progresses is critical for meeting deadlines and making sure the project is on target.
5. Get clients out of their natural environments. Sometimes clients can feel inhibited at their offices or be mired in their day-to-day perspectives. Sanger & Eby has an attractive studio that clients like visiting, so they'll often invite the clients to drop by when a project kicks off.
6. Stay in touch with clients. Sanger & Eby organizes semiannual client gathering and sends gifts during the holidays.
7. Consider the relationship rather than the bottom line. Putting the welfare of the client ahead of monetary issues ultimately results in steady business over the life of your company, principals suggest. Even if you're not making money on one job, the client's loyalty to your firm remains the most important factor in deciding whether or not to take it on.