Treating Your Guinea Pig Clients Well

One of my “gifts” is the ability to translate “geek speak” into plain English. As a result, a lot of my clients are people who know very little about the internet.

I’ve always been a “teach them to fish” kind of a gal and as a result have had several of my clients “outgrow” my services. However, I’m still on call for when things get really messy. That’s what has happened with one of my “graduates” recently.

This graduate is embracing the new online video revolution. She made contact with a firm hoping to become a leader in providing services for what they call “e-training”.  She signed up with them and as a result has found herself in the position of being a guinea pig client.

She is well aware that she is their “beta test” client but contacted me as the project is nearing completion.  I haven’t contacted them, don’t know their side of the story so I won’t be providing details.  Let’s just say that what she was promised in the beginning is nothing like what she’s getting in the end.

In the beginning, she thought she was getting her own web hosting account where she could deliver her own series of e-training videos.  In the end, she found she was actually buying a small strip on their website.

When you launch your business, your first few clients are by nature guinea pig clients.  These are the kind people upon whom you will learn to practice your craft.  Treat these guinea pig clients well as they will be your source of client referrals for years to come.

In the case of the firm above, my client has nothing good to say about this fledgling business.

They say that the difference between customers and clients is that you sell customers something, while clients come under your care.   Long live clients!