Be awesome in difficult moments

Sourcing business from within your existing client base is much cheaper than finding new clients. But if you expect repeat business, you need to be more than just okay.

You need to be awesome.

Being awesome is easy… when you’re not overworked, when you’ve got great customers, when the copywriting challenges and projects aren’t too hard. When business is good, it’s easy to be awesome but that’s not actually when it matters.

When things aren’t going your way and you’re faced with a difficult situation, that’s when you need to be awesome.

Jack Daniel’s gives us a lesson in awesome

Jack Daniel’s faced a potential copyright breach.  In a nutshell, author Patrick Wensink took some big trademarking liberties when he was getting his new book cover commissioned. Jack Daniel’s is big business and, to be honest, I would have expected a rather bullish response. It turned out to be quite the opposite.

I don’t drink Jack Daniel’s so I’ve never had anything to do with the brand but this makes me almost want to buy a bottle and try it! Ok. Not really but I am definitely impressed.

When things aren’t going your way and you’re faced with a difficult situation, then it’s time to be awesome.

It’s an opportunity

Being on the receiving end of a complaint is never nice but, putting my customer hat on for just moment, there is nothing nicer than expecting a real sh*tfight about something and receiving awesome customer service instead.

I’ve had several instances where my seriously unhappy face has walked away delighted. And you can bet I shared the experience.

The difficult moments are an opportunity to turn someone who could potentially bad mouth your business (whether they are entitled to or not) into someone who champions your brand to all and sundry.

How do you become awesome all the time?

Being awesome in difficult moments is a mindset and it comes from the top. When you, and your team, believe in your brand and know what it stands for, it’s more instinctive to act in your customers’ best interests.

Don’t let clients feel like you’re indifferent. Empathy is critical when it comes to customer service. Your copywriting clients want to feel listened to. When it’s all going wrong, tell your clients that you understand how they must feel in this, and try and sound sincere.

If nothing else, I want my clients to see that I’m trying because I genuinely care.

Treat your clients like you treat your friends. I don’t mean having them around to your kids’ birthday parties; I mean thinking about more than a transaction to the impact your actions have on the long-term relationship. Sometimes giving a little will get you a lot.

If it’s more than you in your business, empower your team to help your clients. No one likes being palmed off and passed around like a rubbish Christmas present. Hire people who will be passionate about your clients and your brand and give them what they need to be awesome.

When you’d rather tell someone to shove off, take a deep breath, put a smile on your face and remember this is exactly when you need to be awesome. It might sound like advice from Pollyanna but taking a few seconds to adjust your mindset can make all the difference. Tell yourself that this is the time to be awesome. And be awesome.

Consistency is the key.

If you can give your target market a reason to stay positively engaged with your brand when things are going wrong, when your customer is complaining (or just being a jerk) and you’re pulling out your hair, then you know your business can survive the good times and the bad.

So, when it feels like the world is against you, go and be awesome.

Belinda