The Little Things Matter

I recently read a daily reflection that mentioned the 1954 song, The Little Things Mean A Lot. I pulled it up on YouTube and was surprised at how many different versions there were of the same song. It got me thinking about my daily tasks and how I am constantly trying to be consistent in my approach to doing the little things. As a former Project Manager, I am always reminded of how the little things at the end of a project are usually what the client remembers. In my days as a Project Manager, I was often on some very large and long office furniture installations. I can remember working for months on a projects only to do a final walk through and leave with a three page punch list filled with things like, "vacuum office 238, replace trim cover on cube 1110," or "remove screw packing from top of all desk tops". My client often times said things like, "Not a big deal, but..." It has been proven time and time again that the little things indeed mean a lot.

Today, as a Sales Consultant, I try and make it as easy as possible to work with me. From the initial discovery call to the final invoice and all points in between, the easier it is for the client the greater the chance they will have a positive experience and will want to repeat that experience with me the next time. I have found this the path of least resistance to becoming a trusted adviser. Consistently doing the little things and making the clients job easier is my goal on each project we work on. Once the client sees we are paying attention to the smallest of details, we begin to build trust and the more trust we have, the more we can begin to be partners rather than just a vendor. Three easy ways to begin paying attention to the little things are:

1. Listen - everything seems to always go back to listening. Pay attention and listen to understand, not to respond. Get to know your clients. Stop talking about the parts and pieces and learn things about each other. You will have a better understanding of exactly what your client is trying if you understand the destination instead of the vehicle used to get there.
2. Communicate - Make sure you confirm with your client that what is important to them is what you are hearing. Once you feel confident in your understanding of your clients real needs, communicate that information to your team members. While many things are benefited by a process to execute, each customer has their own unique challenges and are separated by these very little things. Understand these and communicate them to your team members.
3. Deliver - nothing destroys trust faster than undelivered promises. All the listening and communication in the world means nothing if you can't execute. Business today is a game of inches and every one of my competitors does a good job. In order to separate us from the competition, we have to do the little things better. In order to win and keep business from our competitors, it is important that we execute at the highest level possible and to deliver on all the promises we've made throughout the buying process. 

What are the little things that matter in your industry and how are you executing them for your customers? How do you create separation from your competition? Share them with me, I'd love to hear about your success stories!