How do we get to a 10 next year?

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As I mentioned in my last column, I recently went to a friend’s 40th birthday celebration at a high-end hotel in Mexico. My friend was thrilled with the event. But considering how expensive the hotel was, I was frankly underwhelmed by the experience. A few days after I returned home, the hotel sent me a “How did we do?” email. Well, they asked for it.

Being generous, I rated the hotel a 6 out of 10 in most areas of hospitality. It wasn’t a horrible experience for my wife and I, but considering what they were charging, I felt they should know my stay didn’t live up to my expectations. Then I went out of my way to fill in the comment field and told them: “Here are some of the areas in which I think you can do better."

I figured the hotel would read my comments and send me a note back telling me all the wonderful things they’re working on to make my next stay even better. I also expected a complimentary meal, beverage or discount on my next stay tossed in for good measure. No such luck. Instead, I received a generic email telling me: “Mr. Walters: Thanks for your feedback. We appreciate your staying with us and hope to see you again soon.”

Now they have a double problem. Not only will I never be going back to the hotel, but even after I took time to tell them where they fell short, my comments went into a black hole. They didn’t even acknowledge them. That’s OK. I’ll be sure to share my experience at that hotel with everyone I know — in person and online. 

When a customer/client goes out of their way to give you constructive feedback and you ignore it or you send back a meaningless boilerplate response, you’ve put yourself in a worse position than if you’d never asked for feedback at all. 

Now is the time to ask for client feedback

Tax season is behind us. It’s a great time to ask clients for feedback about what you could be doing better. If they give you negative or mediocre feedback, you need to call them right away and say, “We saw that you’re not pleased with us. What can we do to make your experience with us better?” 

Believe me, they’ll be happy to tell you what you need to do to elevate your game. Even better, you’re going to have a stronger relationship with that client because you’ve shown them you care about them and value their opinion. 

Feedback is an art. Remember, you’re a premiere service provider, not an online sock merchant. When you’re asking A-list clients for their feedback, the request needs to be heartfelt. They’re trusting you with their financial wellbeing, after all. They’re looking for a dialogue when sharing their good (and not-so-good) experiences with you. At your price point, you’d better be reaching out to them personally. 

If they give you great feedback, don’t forget to ask for a Google review. If they give you negative feedback, it’s important to reach out personally. Your job is to get a better understanding of what they’re looking to do. Tell them what you’re going to do to fix it — and then fix it. That’s what makes your client relationships stronger than ever before. It’s the expectation clients have when they’re paying a premium price. As author and motivational speaker Gaily Sheehy liked to say, “You can’t grow if you don’t change.”

Three client feedback scenarios

1. If you get negative feedback (6 or below on a scale of 10), respond to this client right away. Make sure you don’t get the dreaded one-star Google review or have further damage to your reputation. Make sure someone on your team jumps on this issue ASAP and figures out how to make the client feel better. Once you do, share the outcome with your entire team: “This is what the client complained about, and this is how we fixed it.” It’s a great learning opportunity for your entire firm.

2. If a client gives great feedback (9-10), thank them for their feedback and ask for a Google review. Most satisfied clients will be happy to do so. If clients aren’t familiar with how Google Reviews work, ask one of your team members to assist them. My article Tax season’s the ideal time to build up your Google reviews has more. 

3. For feedback in the midrange (7-8), look to see how many of those neutrals are your A-list clients. Reach out to them directly and ask them: “How do we get to a 10 next year?” 

Feedback is hugely important right now, because you don’t talk to many of your clients the rest of the year. Everything is fresh in their minds this month. These are your priorities:
1. Make sure nobody wants to burn your firm down.
2. Request reviews from your champions.
3. Move your neutral clients into champion mode.

For more on the net promoter score, see my article Divinely discontent clients.

While everyone likes to receive kudos, you can’t learn or improve your processes with only positive feedback. Look for negative constructive feedback from clients. This is where people are taking the time to tell you how they think you can get better. Getting better with your doubters will help you get better with every single one of your clients. 

What’s your take on pricing, service and firmwide improvement? I’d love to hear from you.