If you work in an industry that requires certification, or specialized training, then you know more than your customers. And that can be a big problem.
Here’s why.
Immersion in your industry, along with your training, means you have an understanding that your customers will never have. You know the insides, the workings, the secrets of your craft.
Your customers don’t.
So things that seem obvious to you, are not obvious to anyone else. Especially your customers.
The only thing you have to fear, is what you don’t know
In this knowledge gap is fear. Customer fear. Your customers’ fear.
Fear that a job won’t get completed the way it should. Fear of what could go wrong. Fear that they’re being over-charged, or swindled.
When your customers see the world through a lens of fear, you have your work cut out for you. Any infraction, real or imagined, changes how your customer experiences their relationship with you.
What can you do?
Share your learnings. Educate your customers. Help them understand why something is the way it is. Pull back the curtain just a little.
Let them ask questions. Have them respectfully challenge you (and please, don’t get defensive). This is how meaningful relationships form.
Customers will never know everything that you know. But when you share insights, experiences, and learnings, you set yourself apart. You show your customers that you care enough about them to help them feel okay.
That’s winning.