Large orders and steady demand can make a customer feel indispensable. And while your bigger customers are certainly valuable, the truth is that your best customers are the ones who help you grow, not just the ones who spend the most.
Your best customers are willing to communicate openly and view you as a partner rather than just a supplier. More often than not, these relationships create opportunities that go far beyond a single job.
What Your Best Customers Can Teach You
Your best customers are one of your most valuable sources of insight. They can clue you into critical information that you may not realize yourself.
Your greatest strengths
Customers can tell you:
- Why they choose you over your competitors
- What they value most in your service
- What keeps them coming back
Surprisingly, many shops misunderstand these factors. What they think matters most doesn’t always align with what their customer base actually values.
For instance, many shops believe that price is the deciding factor, but after a conversation with some of their strongest customers, they learn that reliability and on-time delivery are higher priorities.
Areas for improvement
Strong relationships create space for honest feedback. Your best customers are often the ones willing to tell you where you’re falling short and what frustrations they experience.
It may not always be enjoyable, but that feedback is gold. It allows you to improve not just for that individual customer, but across your entire operation.
Relationships Create Opportunities
The strongest customer relationships are the kind where both sides feel comfortable having honest conversations. But it’s critical to take the helpful insight you get from those relationships and put it to use.
Turn conversations into growth
Ask your customer questions like:
- Are there additional services we could provide?
- What challenges are you facing that we could help solve?
These conversations often unlock new opportunities, such as additional work or entirely new capabilities.
Ask better questions to win better business
Missed opportunities often occur when you’re assuming, not asking.
Be intentional. Know what you’re trying to learn, and ask directly. In doing so, you can gain valuable insight while also strengthening the relationship. It’s a win all around.
Turn insight into action
Feedback alone doesn’t change anything when you don’t have the right strategy for applying it. Take what your best customers tell you and use it to refine your processes, improve communication, expand your capabilities, and/or align your offerings with real market demand.
This is how you position your shop to win more of the right work.
Your Best Customers Create the Blueprint
If you want to grow your business, start by studying your best relationships.
Understand what makes them successful. Ask questions. Listen closely. And, most importantly, act on what you learn.
Need advice on what you can glean from your best customers? Don’t hesitate to ask your NTMA community what has worked for them!
