BUSINESS-L7-1-2

Unit 23
Managing client expectations

職場攻略/市場業務
Workplace English/Communication skills

BRAIN STORM

Share your ideas with your teacher and try to make sentences.

Do you think it is bad to have expectations from your client? Why or Why not?

VOCABULARY

Repeat  these  sentences  after  your  teacher.

1. glittering (adj.) 閃閃發亮的、炫目的
The product was glittering and it was pretty!
產品閃閃發光,很漂亮! 

2. lure (n.) 誘惑
We should aim to lure in more customers.
我們的目標應該是吸引更多的客戶。 

3. sentimental (adj.) 情感的
I always try not to be sentimental, but I cannot.
我總是盡量不要多愁善感,但我不能。

4. bond  (n.) 維繫
Create an emotional bond with your customers.
與客戶建立情感維繫。 

5. nostalgia (n.) 懷舊
Have you experienced nostalgia?
你有過懷舊嗎? 

6. delicate (adj.) 柔軟的、纖細的
Take care with these delicate flowers.
當心這些嬌嫩的鮮花。

7. potent (adj.) 強有力的
He is a potent ruler.
他是一個強有力的統治者。

Dialogue

Read the dialogue aloud with your teacher.

Managing expectations might be the single most important aspect to maintaining a healthy and rewarding relationship with your clients.

Here are five steps that you may want to try to follow when managing client expectations:

1. Be honest from the get-go. It is important to be frank with your clients about what their expectations should be.

Sit down with them and discuss what is achievable and what is not.

If you take time to set realistic expectations in the beginning, you will have a healthier relationship with your client in the long run.

2. Under-promise, over-deliver.

Your client may want you to perform tasks you can’t perform, or give you a deadline you can’t meet. Whatever you do, do not promise things that you cannot deliver.

管理客戶預期或許是和客戶維持健康、有益關係最重要的一個方面。

這裡的五個步驟,對幫助你管理客戶預期可能有用:

1.一開始就要誠實

開誠佈公、讓客戶清楚自己能有什麼期望很重要。跟他們好好聊聊什麼是你做得到的,什麼是做不到的。

如果你花些時間,從頭開始就建立一個符合實際的期望,你能長期和客戶保持健康的關係。

2. 少承諾,多做事。

你的客戶有可能希望你做一些你做不了的事、或者給你一個無法完成的時間表。無論如何,不要承諾自己不能完成的事。

This will ruin your reputation. Instead, promise on things you are confident about delivering and go above and beyond to create exceptional experiences.

3. Anticipate your client’s needs before they know their own needs.

What your clients don’t say is often more important than what they do say. You need to be able to spot their unexpressed needs and turn those into opportunities to surprise and delight them.

4. Over-communicate.

We think we hear something. We misremember a conversation. We focus on one sentence in an email and glaze over the rest. We make assumptions.

Make a point to not just communicate, but to over-communicate. Deliver clear and actionable information that keeps your clients informed about the strategy, the plan, the goals, the accomplishments, and the next steps at all times.

這會讓你的名譽受損。相反,承諾你有信心能做到的事,而且不遺餘力地創造卓越的體驗。

3.在客戶知道自己需求之前,預估他們的需求。

客戶沒說的,通常比他們說出來的更重要。你需要去發現客戶沒表達出的需求,並把這些轉變成能給客戶創造驚喜和愉悅的機會。

4.多多溝通。

我們覺得自己聽到了、我們有時記錯一次談話、有時看一封郵件只注意了一條,卻忽略了其它、我們推斷、臆測。

努力去溝通、不僅溝通、而且多溝通、過度溝通。給客戶提供清晰的、可行的信息,隨時讓客戶明白戰略、計劃、目標、結果和接下來要做的事。

 5. Create a detailed plan for all projects.

Even if your client says he doesn‘t care how it gets done, as long as it gets the results he wants, you still need to detail a plan of action with timelines. The client should be able to point to the status of a project at all times.

This also helps with managing expectations as the plan should outline what deadlines the client must meet and the deliverables your team needs in order to stay on track.

5.為所有項目制定詳細計劃。

即使你的客戶說他不在乎你怎麼完成,只要能達到他想要的結果,你還是需要詳細制定一份有行動節點的計劃。你的客戶應該能從中隨時明白項目的狀況。

這也能幫你管理客戶預期,因為你的計劃會列出哪些是客戶要守住的時間節點、以及你團隊需要按時完成工作所需的具體事項。

Grammar

Over-_and_under-_as_prefixes

Over- and under- are both frequently used prefixes in the English language, and can be attached to verbs and adjectives without a hyphen, even though your spell check may tell you otherwise.

Over- means “too” or “above.” Under- means “not enough” or “beneath.”

1. The biggest employee complaint across American companies is feeling underappreciated.

2. Overachievers often accomplish some amazing feats, but underestimate the effect of all the stress on their bodies over time.

3. _____________________________________________________________________.

DISCUSSION

Make a conversation with your teacher.

1.What do you think are the factors that influences a client’s expectation?