Working in the events industry is all about providing excellent customer and client service. But meeting and anticipating the needs of your customers alone is not enough to generate loyalty and positive word-of-mouth. You also need to create an experience that makes your customers feel like they are part of something other than a successful event: something bigger, something personal, and something meaningful. Here are four tips to employ in your business to turn customers into evangelists that sing your praises:

1. Operate Under the Platinum Rule
2. Ensure the Customer is Always Connected
3. Speak to Your Values
4. Create an Advocacy Program

Operate Under the Platinum Rule

We all know the Golden Rule: Treat others the way you want to be treated. But have you heard about the Platinum Rule? Treat others the way they want to be treated.

The Platinum Rule is important because when you operate under it in your business, you show respect, thoughtfulness, and empathy toward your customers. You create a customer-first or customer-centered environment.

But here’s the tricky part: the only way to know how someone wishes to be treated is if they tell you. And very few customers will tell you. So that means you have to ask! You might consider asking the following questions:

• How and when do you prefer to be contacted?
• If I am not available to answer your question right away, would you rather wait to hear from me or hear immediately from one of my colleagues?
• Do you prefer to have fewer long meetings or more frequent short meetings?
• How visible would you like me and my team to be on the day of your event?

When you ask these questions, your customers will feel like you are putting their well-being ahead of your business. This, in turn, signals that you are a kind, caring, and considerate human being worthy of repeat business and referrals. No one wants to work with a total jerk of a DJ, even if they have the fanciest equipment or lowest rates – really!

Ensure the Customer is Always Connected

Speaking of DJs, here’s another spin on an old classic. In addition to the customer always being right, preempt any potential messiness by making sure the customer is always connected.

Because you are inviting potentially difficult feedback, this one may feel awkward, but it’s simple and it works. Check in often with your customers about how they are feeling about working with you and your services. When you ask for your client’s feedback regularly, they will feel heard and like they are part of a partnership, not a transactional relationship.

Additionally, asking how you can better meet their needs or how they find your service will subconsciously create more “buy-in” (read: loyalty) from the customer simply because they thought about and articulated why. These are the types of meaningful interactions that stay with people and can lead to word-of-mouth referrals.

And yes, asking for continual feedback might put you in a vulnerable situation, but it’s better to have difficult conversations with your customers in private through a healthy dialogue than have it show up in a shockingly negative review later down the line. Those are never fun.

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Speak to Your Values

Now more than ever, corporate social responsibility is on the radar of businesses and customers alike. That means your current and potential clients want to see you stand for something and strive to make positive changes in your community. And the truth is, there may be no industry better suited for this than events because it brings people together.

When you align your business to genuine values held by you and your team – and make those values clear, publicly – people who share those values will choose to work with you and are more likely to become loyal customers. Additionally, having a point of view can be something that sets you apart from your competition in an already highly competitive industry.

Remember: when you try to speak to everyone, you risk speaking to no one.

Create an Advocacy Program

Positive word-of-mouth from customers is one of the most successful ways to market your business. And while it can be difficult to encourage that behavior in your customers, you can facilitate it by establishing an advocacy program in your business. This essentially means generating opportunities for your customers to sing your praises. Examples include:

• Asking for reviews
• Implementing a referral program
• Seeking out customer testimonials
• Soliciting customers for case studies or references
• Creating opportunities to share feedback on social media

And hey, don’t forget to incentivize your customers to participate in any or all of the above! You never know when a $25 Starbucks gift card could result in a $2500 contract.