Communicate all the small things you do for your clients
“It’s not the big things that add up in the end; it’s the hundreds, thousands, or millions of little things that separate the ordinary from the extraordinary.” – Darren Hardy
In 2015, I was overwhelmed with all the little things I did for my clients. Before I had a care plan, I frantically updated client websites in my spare time. Like I ever have any spare time! They needed to learn the number of small things to be done to their websites regularly, from the plugin updates to the PHP upgrades to the SSL certificate installations. These were all happening without their knowledge and without me getting paid. I just considered it part of my service.
I have written about how I developed my care plan using ManageWP, and the reporting that goes out monthly from that program is the way my care plan clients know I am taking care of all the small stuff for them. But not all the things I do appear in that report. Here are other ways I let my clients know I’m dealing with the website details they don’t have time for:
- When I know a new version of WordPress has been released, I will email my care plan clients to let them know what it’s all about. The client will most likely get an email from their hosting company or an automated email from WordPress, and if I explain it first, they understand that email better and know I am on top of it for them.
- If their SSL certificate renews and I get an email, I pass that email along to them. The hosting company may have automatically renewed the SSL, but I noted that. It’s good to let the customer know you have an eye on EVERYTHING.
- Did I upgrade the PHP for the client’s website? They don’t know what that is, but they should. They didn’t have to do this because I knew what it meant and what needed to be done.
- Did a plugin “get stuck” during an update? I don’t just update it. I tell the client there was a failure, and that I fixed it.
- I routinely check my client’s hosting renewal dates. I let them know if I could save them money and get them free SSL.
I used to completely undervalue all the little things I did for my clients. But the reality is that every little thing I do is something my client doesn’t have to do or worry about. Installing Rescue Time on your computer is an excellent way to track that time. This will follow the time you are spending on websites as you work. A notepad on your desk is also a great resource.
Make sure your clients know how much you help them by sweating the small stuff. If you don’t tell them, they may never know.
