I’ve been doing some client research recently to better understand what customers value most about working with Signal.
The aim is simple.
To find out what my clients value most about working with Signal, rather than what I assumed they valued.
Like many business owners, I’ve spent years thinking about what I do and how I describe it.
The list goes on.
So when I started asking clients what they valued most, I expected the answers to focus on the work itself.
They didn’t.
“Interestingly, clients almost took for granted that the design work would be excellent.“
What they talked about valuing was something else.
One client described Signal as a one-stop creative shop.
Another said that if they lost my support, they’d struggle to find the four, five or six specialists they’d need to replace what I provide in one place.
Others talked about trust, flexibility, problem-solving and having someone they could call when they needed help, regardless of whether the challenge fitted neatly into a design brief.
These weren’t the answers I expected, but they’re giving me real insight.
The experience has reminded me of something important.
As business owners, we’re often too close to our own businesses. We spend so much time thinking about what we sell that we can lose sight of what people are actually buying, and customers don’t always value the things we think they value.
Sometimes they value convenience. Sometimes they value confidence. Sometimes they value reliability.
“Sometimes they value having one trusted relationship rather than managing multiple suppliers.“
In my case, it turns out clients don’t just value the design.
They value having access to what one client effectively described as a trusted creative department through a single relationship.
That doesn’t mean the design isn’t important. Far from it.
The quality of the work is the foundation that everything else sits on. But it isn’t necessarily the thing clients talk about first.
That’s the interesting bit, the lesson isn’t really about Signal, it’s about customer understanding.
If you’re a business owner, leader or freelancer, I’d encourage you to ask a handful of your best clients a simple question:
What do you value most about working with us?
Then listen carefully, the answers might confirm what you already believe. Or they might reveal something far more interesting.
Sometimes the most valuable business insights come from getting out of your own head and into your customers’ heads.