Don’t let bad clients detract you from doing good things

We’ve all suffered the frustration of dealing with a large business where you must jump through 101 different hoops to get a particular service or offering. Even as an existing customer, you can be made to feel like a criminal as you wade through the questions and proof required before you get what you want.

In this age of frequent fraud, I think we all understand the need for security but it often goes beyond that as you get a sense of the company seeking to convince themselves that you are not ‘trying it on’.

We come across reluctance from accountants to put attractive new services and offers in place for fear that “some clients might abuse it”. Suggest offering unlimited support within a service package for instance and you will regularly hear this.

It’s important to recognise that the clear majority of your clients are decent, honest, fair people who have neither the time nor the inclination to abuse your great gestures and goodwill. Indeed, they will value them.

By choosing not to make such gestures because of the negative tiny minority, you lose the opportunity to spread that goodwill amongst the great swell of your client base.

Focus on the good people and what is great service for them. By all means, minimise your risk to the abusers with fair usage policies and restricted terms and conditions but let’s not lose the value of the gesture in the small print.

For every 1 client who abuses your goodwill (and almost certainly will eventually leave or be sacked), you have 99 loyal and referral-willing clients who appreciate and value it.

Do the maths, it works in your favour.