Gina Branch

It is important to continually ask yourself (and be honest) the following question…

“How do your customers, your clients, and your prospects see you?”

Take a sheet of paper and draw a line down the middle. On the left side at the top, label the column, “Products and Services.” Label the right column, “Help and Advice.”

Every time you are in contact with a customer or prospect, whether they call you or you have a face‑to‑face meeting, evaluate the overall purpose of the meeting.

Did your customer or prospect look to you for the products or services you provide? Or did they seek your help, advice or counsel to help them make a decision that would solve a particular need or challenge they were facing?

Once you’ve determined that, place a mark in the appropriate column. Then at the end of the month, evaluate the results of your list.

If you have more marks in the “Products and Services” column than in the “Help and Advice” column, you pretty well know what perception your customers have of you.

But equally important, you also know what you need to do to change that perception. You can then begin to develop and implement a plan of action that focuses on improving your image in the eyes of your customers. Then test yourself again several months later. By comparing your evaluation sheets over the period of a year or two, you can easily see the progress you’re making.

Improvement is not always difficult. Oftentimes a person may not know where they are weak or where they need to improve. But if you can isolate those areas that need improvement, you can then begin to take the necessary steps to effect positive change.