Something crossed my mind today that really made me feel like throwing up. Did you see this headline in the news?
HR Consultant Found Dead With Ripped Out Gut After Business Meeting. Client Reported Missing
Did you?
A headline like that actually makes me wonder what happened…
Did the consultant charge too much for his services?
Did he call the client insulting names?
Did he threaten to walk out of a deal?
Or was he giving his client’s wife the eye (perhaps the wife was also at the meeting)?
What the heck happened?
The truth is, I’ll probably never know what happened.
But one thing I know is that kind of fatality could’ve been avoided.
Yup!
It’s almost a no brainer for you as a service professional to do what it takes so that you can deliver your services and serve your clients remotely.
This reduces your physical stress and sometimes, gives you more confidence to command your rates online. And most of all, it prevents the client from ripping your throat out.
Here are 6 tools you should start using today in your service business to work with clients online if you don’t want to end up like that HR guy.
1. Attract Clients And Receive Requests Via Your Website
Being that I’m an advocate of designing websites that actually help you generate leads online, this is something you shouldn’t ignore.
A website designed for the purpose of helping you get leads and then close client deals must have specific elements in place, some of which include lead generation forms and a professional services page.
Having such elements ensure that whether you implement a LinkedIn client attraction strategy or a media awareness campaign, your website is effective enough to convert all that traffic into leads who would eventually send you orders and become your clients.
Price: Click here to find out more
2. Negotiate With Clients And Send Proposals Via Gmail
Another no brainer.
With Gmail, you can receive and send proposals and pitches, integrate plugins to help you manage your account, assign specific emails to labels and categorize your emails into folders. And it’s a primary tool to help you work with clients.
This ultimately increases your productivity and reduces the time spent discussing something that couldn’t’ve otherwise been written out. I personally see sending emails as a way to reduce tension, especially when you’re vexed and want to spit out all the insulting words you have in your head. You’ll end up doing no such thing via email ‘cos after all, you’re supposed to be professional.
Price: Free
3. Interact In Real Time With Clients And Prove You’re Human With Skype
Sometimes clients are sceptical about you and your services until they either hear your voice, see your face or receive instant answers to their objections. There’s no better way to do this online than with Skype’s chat features. At first, I was scared of using Skype, but then, when I discovered that a simple Skype chat could help me close a deal at a higher rate, that fear vanished as fast as it came :).
Skype, which is owned by Microsoft, is an all-in-one communication tool with which you can make video calls with potential clients (if you’ve not closed the deal yet), build relationships, negotiate with clients (just like email) and even guide clients with the aid of tutorials done via screen sharing.
By doing this with both new and old clients, you increase their confidence in you. The trust between you gets stronger and it becomes a valid excuse to receive testimonials for your work.
Price: Free
4. Use QuickBooks To Bill Clients And Keep Your Finances Intact
Depending on how you sell your services, it can be a bottle neck reminding your clients to pay for your services every month, especially if it’s recurring. But that’s even thinking afar off, how about getting them to pay for the first time?
With QuickBooks, you can send invoices to first time clients. This invoice will show in your records and when clients make payment through the integrated payment gateway, your books get updated. If you sell recurring services, you can automatically charge your clients’ credit card. This way, without a phone call from you, you get paid.
A very important part of business finance is cash flow, and QuickBooks gives you a report on what’s coming into your account and what leaves it, so you know whether or not you’re doomed.
Price: Starts at $4.79/month
5. Manage Client Projects And Keep Them In The Loop With Basecamp
Some clients like to see you work. Some just want to know how far you’ve gone with the project every day. And others just want a weekly digest of progress made by your team. All this can be done from one spot.
As a service professional, you need to deliver your services and send your reports in a professional way. With the Basecamp project management software, you can work with clients and keep them in the loop by creating an account for them in the software. If you work with a team, all progress made is often recorded and can be sent out as a report either daily or weekly, with the help of Basecamp addons.
So whether it’s design,business development or writing that you do, basecamp allow syou to create lists and tasks and track your work all from one place.
Price: Starts at $20/month
6. Collaborate And Share Documents In Real Time Using Google Drive
The first time I used Google drive, I was surprised to see that my client could actually see as I updated the cells in real time. It was a research project that needed collaboration and Google sheets from drive was the best bet.
Drive from Google enables you to share documents (docs, spreadsheets, presentations) and other files (video and audio) with those you work with in real time. What this means is that all collaborators on one document can actually update it together. So, if you’re working on a project that requires your client’s periodic input, Google drive works well for this.
You don’t need any special software to use it. And the good thing is if your computer runs on Windows, your resident Microsoft office works with all Google drive documents. All you need to do is upload them to your Google drive account and share with your clients. It doubles as a file sharing service and collaboration space.
Price: Free
With these 6 tools, attracting and working with your clients online should be a breeze. This not only helps you work with local clients, but with those who are hard to physically reach.
Having easy access to tools like these makes me wonder why a HR consultant would risk his life and close a deal with a client whom he knows has mental issues. And that’s something to note: if from your first few emails, you realize that you and your client may not really blend physically (probably due to your lack of confidence, or his harsh tone), don’t schedule a face to face meeting.
Good thing is that headline actually never happened. As I said, it crossed my mind. So don’t go looking for the story via Google ‘cos you won’t find anything :).
What do you think about working with clients online? Are you more comfortable with face to face meetings? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Image credit: Jim Pennucci