What if a Hollywood icon like Emma Stone, George Clooney, or Brad Pitt wanted to do business with your agency? Would you treat them like any other client?
Of course not. You would fawn all over them.
“Here is the Jedi mind trick to make you craved by your clients, envied by your competitors, and raved about in your industry: treat all clients like they are a celebrity,” says international client service expert Geoff Ramm.
Ramm, the author of the brilliant book Celebrity Service, knows that only great client service leads to lucrative, repeat business. Based in the United Kingdom, Ramm travels the globe teaching audiences how to discover the gap in their service they never knew existed.
“How can you design a client experience that has you talked about for decades to come?” asks Ramm. “You think you deliver great service, but then a celebrity walks in and everything changes.”
Closing the gap between your ordinary service and extraordinary service can be a game changer.
I first interviewed Ramm in Dallas after he delivered an opening keynote to 1,400 thought leaders at an annual conference for the National Speakers Association. We subsequently talked over Zoom.
His book Celebrity Service is a fresh way to look, think, and act on upgrading every aspect of your client service, enabling you to become memorable in the eyes of your customers.
Using the acronym CELEBRITY, Ramm explains the key elements: Consistency, Excitement, Love, Engagement, Bravado, Response, Independence, Thank You and You and Your Team.
Ramm offers the following tips:
Identify and anticipate client needs. “Remember, clients don’t buy your services, they buy good feelings and solutions to problems,” says Ramm. “Most celebrity service customer needs are emotional rather than logical.”
Ramm says you would want to anticipate what a Hollywood celebrity would want before they wanted it. “By identifying and anticipating these needs, you are more likely to give your clients exactly what they are after.”
Communicate clearly and effectively. Strive for communications clarity. “Your customers will appreciate being talked to clearly and concisely,” says Ramm. “And if you have employees, communication is key. Highlight the celebrity service expectations you have and the celebrity service behavior you would like to see.”
Treat your agency employees well. “Make sure you see your employees as your internal clients,” says Ramm. “The quality of your client service will never exceed the quality of the people that provide it.”
Always go the extra mile. Doing the extra is appreciated. Ramm notes: “Although clients may not mention it to you when extra effort has been made, they will notice and will tell other people.”
A final tip: Ramm also advises you to monitor your competition.
“Any business should keep close tabs on the competition,” says Ramm. “In terms of client service, the quality of the service you provide should at least be the same as your competition. Remember, if you’re not taking care of your clients, then your competition will.”