Do your clients see your company’s core values the way you do?
It was a profound question that came to me in an unexpected moment. Its importance was overshadowed by a more pressing one that was bombarding my brain at the time:
“Am I going to die?”
It certainly felt like I was.
I was in the backseat of a compact-sized rideshare vehicle. Being the kind, accommodating passenger that I am (I have the rating to prove it), I assured the driver that I had plenty of time to get to my airport destination; I was Not Your Average Ride Sharing Joe – in control and no hurry.
The driver, however, was on a timetable of his own, pressing down on the accelerator and recklessly switching lanes without any regard for turn signals or other drivers in his path.
I realized that my destination could very well be my final one, so I thought about texting my wife my final wishes (and the location of all my stored passwords).
When the car (and my promises to be a kinder, gentler person) finally came to a stop, I realized that I should never have been put in such a tenuous position.
I was the client.
When you are in that position of power, there should always be an understood agreement that your vendor or partner will always have your best interest in mind. In the case of the ride share, I assumed it would be something important like passenger safety!
That set my business mind on overdrive with more questions.
- Did my clients ever feel this way?
- Did they ever perceive we were not acting in their best interest?
- Have our strategic, marketing, or creative recommendations ever made them feel distressed? Not heard? Or that they were being steered in a perilous direction?
I thought about our company’s core values. What are they? And more importantly, what do our customers perceive they are?
To get the answers, I needed to ask our customers and the employees who embody those values.
As an agency partner, we have a fiduciary responsibility to treat every account with care, loyalty, good faith, and obedience. But like many businesses, we can sometimes forget what made a client fall in love with us in the first place and why they continue to choose us.
Share the ride
Maybe at your next standup, daily huddle, or team pileup in a rideshare vehicle (choose wisely), you could talk about your core values and how your customers perceive them. Or at your next meeting with a client, you could ask them what they believe your company stands for.
These simple discussions can go a long way in helping ensure your business is meeting the standards you’ve set and that your clients expect.