Setting Expectations

 Have you ever been contacted by a client who needed your help because they allowed a team in to their abode or business only to be left with nothing. I believe that people are either happy or unhappy with a level of service they receive based on whether it did or did not live up to their expectations. Let's face it - if you promise them the moon and the stars, they won't be happy when you only deliver the moon. Now if you had promised them only the hillside and delivered the moon, then they are stunned and amazed. We can determine how a client reacts to our services by providing them with a reasonable (a.k.a. easily attainable for us) set of expectations. I think it is a must that you advise them of the services you provide, perhaps even have it wrote down for them to read. Explain your process and the way you will be conducting the investigation in great detail. Let them be aware  of what is expected of them and what they can expect from you. When you set the clients' expectations for them, they don't have the chance to set those expectations anywhere else. It leaves no room for them to be overly demanding without seeming unreasonable. What I mean by demanding here is the clients persistence that what they are experiencing is let's say Uncle Wilfred. It is crucial that we do not inform the client that it is Uncle Wilfred until you have all your results. I think another important part would be not promising more. When you sit down with the client be reasonable and rational when setting the expectations and the services you will provide. The bottom line is that your clients don't know what to expect until you tell them. Set your clients' expectations at a reasonable level and then exceed them. Do this consistently and you'll watch your repeat business grow, thusly allowing you to continue your search. This is just my opinion ~ Tracy