What Clients Love
I've been reading What Clients Love by Harry Beckwith. Beckwith is one of the best authors on the topic of selling services. There's a quote that stands out in the book. He says: "When you buy a product, you purchase something tangible. When you buy a service,...
A Question of Value
People who purchase services see value in different things - many are non-monetary. In this article we'll explore the concept of value and give you ideas of how you can create value in the eyes of your clients. How much is a can of Coke worth? In Australia, it could...
When Good Service Goes Bad
My brother sent me an email this week after reading the It's A Performance article I wrote a few weeks back. He makes this comment. Saw this in one of your articles. "Even the best bands get it wrong on stage sometime, and I'm not suggesting you control the service...
My Visit To The Architectural Firm
I visited an architectural firm this week and was impressed with the way they market themselves to their clients and make an intangible service become tangible. Read on to find out more. Our financial planning business has an architectural firm as clients. I...
What Clients Want
A few years ago I read a great article by Parasuraman, Berry & Zeithaml called ‘Understanding Customer Expectations of Service’ from the Spring 1991 Sloan Management Review. The article looks at customers of service businesses and helps us understand what their...
It’s a Performance
I remember sitting in a lecture one night and my lecturer began to talk about service delivery as a performance. As a musician I was fascinated by the parallels between what I’d experienced as a musician, and what I did in my job. Have you ever been served by someone...
The Hidden Cues of Value
The hidden cues of value Our financial planning business has an architectural firm as clients. I visited them in their office the other day and was impressed by what I saw. I guess if you’re an architect it could be hard to sell your value to some clients. A lot of...
How Clients Decide
I was with my accountant recently and we were discussing how clients decide whether we’ve done a good job or not. I’ve heard clients speak about their accountants and say something like “My accountant is very good. I get a tax refund of around $1,000 each year”. ...
Watch Your Language
When I left school I worked with a bank for ten years – the last year was spent as a financial planner. My next job was with a small Adelaide-based financial planning business where I learnt a lot about financial planning and client service. One of my early lessons...
Welcome to the BetterServiceBlog
If you’re an accountant, lawyer, financial planner – anyone who sells a service, this blog is for you! Selling a service is a bit different to selling a tangible product like a TV. If I want to buy a TV, I can read reviews, compare brochures, see one at my local shop...