Sometimes, getting the best service is determined by what you do way before you’ve committed to paying a single cent. We sometimes make the mistake of thinking that a service provider will give us exactly what we want, when we want it—and that they intuitively know what we need. Consequently, we don’t provide a specific enough brief of the results we expect. The very first stage of getting the right quality of work is knowing exactly what you want and being able to articulate this.
Other times, we are quick to pay because of an urgent need or a great deal. It’s always smart to pay for a service only after you know who you’re dealing with and what you’re getting. Let’s explore a few tips.
Know What You Want
Make sure that you’re clear about what you expect and write everything down—even a list will do. If you can visualise the product or service, the better. But, even with a limited imagination, you can always get samples and show them to your potential service provider. Don’t be asked what you want, only to say the service provider knows best—as they experiment with different ideas, they are using up their time/ money and your project is being delayed. Such an arrangement may end up weakening a newly formed relationship.
Get Straight to the Point
When you’re clear about what you expect, you won’t beat about the bush—and this is a good thing—you save both your times whilst getting exactly what you want out of your business arrangement. Don’t be the client who messages with a hi and vanishes as you wait to be asked about why you messaged. Your first communication must have the greeting and the product/ service you’re interested in.
In very busy setups, clients who are specific about what they want will get served faster because they do away with the small talk and get straight to the required work.
Do Your Research
Before paying a cent, first figure out who you’re dealing with. It’s always good practice to do some research on a company before engaging them to do your work. Do they have a website? Any official social media pages? If they have zero online platforms, that could be a problem. You, especially, don’t want to pay money to a small, relatively unknown company before reading up on them.
Start by googling the company or doing a Facebook search. The beauty of a Facebook page is reviews. If the reviews feature is enabled on the page, it’s all or nothing—reviews can’t be edited and page admins can’t delete specific reviews—they can only enable or disable the reviews tab. This means the reviews you see will be everything—the good, the bad, and the ugly. If there are a number of reviews and most/ all are positive, this will give you confidence in the business.
There are also Facebook groups like Name & Shame Them Zimbabwe. If the business you’re thinking of dealing with is mentioned there a few times in regards to poor-quality service, then think twice about engaging them.
Another way to gain confidence in a business is through referrals by close friends/ family/ colleagues. Ask them about any good businesses they have dealt with. Their reviews may end up being the most reliable because they obviously mean you well—and your experience with whomever they recommend will also reflect upon them.
Request Samples
Whenever practical, request samples of previous work. If someone has done similar work in the past, they shouldn’t hesitate to show you. With a clear image of what you’re looking for, their samples will either tick the right boxes or not. Don’t be quick to take someone at their word. Unscrupulous individuals abound—the type who will always tell you they can do what you’ve requested—only to give excuses once they’ve taken your money and the deadline is reached.
When your usual go-to guy (whose quality you trust) tells you that they are unfamiliar with the new work you would want done, take them at their word—don’t force the project on them—otherwise, you may both end up being unhappy with the work.
Clarify Important Details
Don’t be afraid to get clarification on the important details—delivery time, full amount, product/ service features, description and quality standards. If you’re still wary of a new partnership, and the cost is substantial, only pay a deposit if you’re asked to pay upfront.
Bottom Line
Having great relationships with high-quality product/ service providers can be rewarding. There’s nothing better than knowing you can trust someone to deliver the right quality on-time, every time. But the initial stages of forming these great relationships require a little research. The idea is to take a little time and to put in a little effort in figuring out who you’ll be dealing with.
For more self-help and a whole book of tips, check out the PDF eBook, Living Mindfully on a Budget
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