Never Forget The Second Customer

Delivery is not enough.

When someone pays you money to perform a service for them, doing
great work is the bare minimum. The big win is when you make clients look like
heroes to the people who count on them.

My friend Chris does video production with large corporations.
The day he starts any project, he sends his contact person a link to a private
webpage that maps out every single process and timeline for the job. This
embeds expectational clarity into the work, but more importantly, gives the client
something tangible to show to her boss. After all, people who work at big
companies love nothing more than to walk into their superior’s office, show
them that they’re in control, and walk out with a greater sense of accomplishment.

That’s called the second customer. And everyone has one. No
matter what your position is in the service industry, always be mindful of the
peripheral characters who work downstream of the lead role. Because if you can
guaranteed that clients will look like heroes in their eyes, your services will
be in demand for a long time.