have the right words, but they know what they need better than anyone else. 5. Listen as though you had to report the content of the message to someone in 8 hours : This forces you to concentrate and remember. It is a good technique to practice. 6. Develop note taking skills : The simple process of typing or writing down key points as you hear them helps you retain what you hear, even if you do not read the notes later. 7. Hold your fire : Do not jump to make judgments. Wait until your client has finished talking. 8. Work on listening : Tune out those thoughts that get you thinking about something else. 9. Seek clarification from your client until you fully understand their needs : One way to do this is to repeat what you think they are trying to say using sincere, open-ended questions. 11. DRESS NEATLY AND APPROPRIATELY It’s true. People do judge you by the way you look. When clients come into our office, we must look professional and our workplace must be clean and neat. People who see sloppy offices think sloppy work. Don’t think office image doesn’t work. I had a client tell me he hired me because my office looked like I had spent a great deal of money on it, and he figured I had to be successful if I could afford to have a nice-looking office. 12. WEAR YOUR SMILE WHEN A CLIENT COMES INTO THE OFFICE Always put on your smile when somebody comes into the office. Be complimentary. Complimenting takes only a second and can add enormous goodwill. If you don’t do this very often, get into the habit of saying something complimentary to each of your clients. Safe grounds for sincere compliments are as follows: 1. An article of clothing they are wearing. 2. Their children 3. Their behavior 4. Something they own. 5. Their helpfulness. For example, “Thank you for filling out the forms so carefully, that will help.” 13. FISH FOR NEGATIVE FEEDBACK What?! Fish for negative feedback?? Exactly. Negative feedback is the kind that helps us improve. In client service, there is no neutral gear – we either improve or we slip backwards. The best way to get feedback is to let clients know that you
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