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.