What is the main message of Clients First?

The main message of Clients First is prioritizing customer satisfaction for business success.

How long does it take to read Clients First?

The reading time for Clients First varies, but it can be read in several hours. The Blinkist summary takes just 15 minutes.

Who is the author of Clients First?

The authors of Clients First are Joseph Callaway and JoAnn Callaway.

Money & Investments

Clients First Book Summary - Clients First Book explained in key points

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Clients First summary

Name: Clients First
Rating: 4.3 (29 reviews)
Author: Joseph Callaway and JoAnn Callaway

Joseph Callaway JoAnn Callaway

The Two Word Miracle

4.3 (29 ratings)

11 mins

Brief summary

Clients First by Joseph and JoAnn Callaway is a business book that emphasizes the critical importance of putting clients' needs before anything else. It showcases real-life examples of businesses that thrived by prioritizing customer satisfaction.

Topics

Entrepreneurship Small Businesses Success

Table of Contents

Clients First
Summary of 5 key ideas

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Key idea 1 of 5

What’s in it for me? Get in front by putting others before you.

Just about everyone has heard the tired old phrase “the customer is always right.” But despite being such a widespread motto, it isn’t really true anymore. A far more appropriate philosophy for the modern world would be “the customer is always first.”

But what does this mean in practice?

These blinks, based on 122 simple instructions by a hugely successful real estate couple, show you why you need to focus – at all times – on the emotions, needs and desires of your clients. Instead of giving clients advice based on what you want, try basing your strategies and decisions on their wishes. It could very well give your business a new lease on life.

In these blinks, you’ll discover

why the authors increased their sales by advising clients not to buy from them;
why customer loyalty can help carry you through a recession; and
why being a success in business depends on maintaining your desire to learn.

If you want your clients to trust you, you have to stay honest with them.

Whether you’re a high-flying consultant or a shopkeeper, you can be sure that good business comes from getting customers or clients to trust you. Of course, this is easier said than done. We all know why we should create stronger bonds with customers, but do we know how?

In the end, it’s not so complicated. By focusing on the three areas of honesty, competence and caring, you’ll give your business the foundation it needs for a great customer-brand relationship. So, let’s get started with the first of them: honesty.

Honesty isn’t just about telling your clients the truth, but telling the truth even when it might go against your interests. But a little white lie never hurt anybody, did it? Well, let’s dig a little deeper into why honesty is so necessary using the example of the real estate business.

When it comes to real estate purchases, clients are making big financial and emotional decisions. They’re deciding where they and their family will live, and how much they’re willing to pay for it. It’s no wonder that clients often get overwhelmed.

You might think that the best real estate agents would be those that prey on these moments of weakness, but the truth is quite the opposite. Agents who can keep their clients calm and composed with honest statements are the agents who will benefit from lasting, trusting relationships.

In their real estate work, the authors met the Brown family. This family, though not very well off, were eager and determined to purchase the house being sold by the Smith family. The authors could have closed the deal with the Browns in a heartbeat; but knowing that the mortgage would cripple them financially, the authors told the families the truth and advised against the sale.

The result? Both the Smiths and the Browns became loyal clients, seeing that the authors really did have the customers’ interests at heart. And they made sure to recommend the authors to all their friends, too!

Only companies that demonstrate competence at every stage will win clients over.

Honesty is the best policy, but it’s not the only approach you should implement when dealing with customers. The second essential aspect of putting customers first is competence. Competence simply means showing the customer that you’re an expert at what you do.

But competence isn’t about working until you’re the best and stopping. In order to demonstrate competence, you have to embrace a process of continuous learning and development. To become a great real estate agent, you have to be ready to learn non-stop.

Demonstrate care for your client by understanding where their interests lie.

What do salespeople think about when trying to close a deal? Their commission, surely! Well, not if they’re good salespeople. Putting the client first means, above all else, caring for the client – and not just the commission!

Caring for clients doesn’t refer to maternal feelings or offering a shoulder to cry on. Though we usually define caring in terms of sympathy or empathy, caring in this case is more about understanding where the client’s interests lie.

Putting clients first guarantees smooth sailing for your company, even in turbulent financial situations.

The economy operates in cycles – there are good times and bad times. But this doesn’t make the bad times any easier for companies. Slumps in the market can threaten to put many once-thriving enterprises out of business. But there is one way to give your company the safety net it needs: building a strong customer base.

During the 2007-8 financial crisis, the real estate market in the United States collapsed. Buyers became reluctant to take out mortgages to buy homes, while sellers flooded the market and banks tried desperately to get repossessed homes off their books. In other words, the price of houses had plummeted, but nobody was buying. Real estate businesses across the United States were struggling to stay afloat.

Learning to love putting clients first is the ticket to finding fulfillment in your job.

Knowing how to put your clients first is one thing – enjoying putting them first is another! In order to truly build successful customer relationships, you need the right attitude. After all, there are few things more important than finding joy in your job.

The truth is that with the right mindset, any job you do can make you feel fulfilled and, yes, happy! Rather than trying to do what you love, why not start trying to just love what you do, whatever it may be. This is itself a very useful skill, particularly when we end up doing certain jobs as a last resort.

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What is Clients First about?

Clients First (2013) reveals how honesty, competence and compassion can become the keys to great success in your company by creating strong and trusting relationships with clients. The authors offer some excellent insights drawn from their own experience, having gone from flat broke to wildly successful real estate agents in just a few years.

Clients First Review

Clients First: The Two Word Miracle (2012) by Joseph Callaway and JoAnn Callaway is a book that offers valuable insights into building successful client relationships. Here's why this book is definitely worth reading:

The book provides practical strategies that can be implemented immediately, helping professionals prioritize their clients and deliver exceptional service.
Offering compelling stories and real-life examples, it effectively demonstrates the power of putting clients first and how it can positively impact your business and reputation.
With its engaging tone and relatable stories, this book turns what could be a dry topic into an interesting and enjoyable read.

Best quote from Clients First

Some say it takes 2,000 hours to become a hairdresser and only 90 hours to become a real estate agent.

—Joseph Callaway and JoAnn Callaway

Who should read Clients First?

Anyone working in real estate
Any salesperson who wants to maximize their sales
Entrepreneurs hoping to implement a more people-centred approach to their business

About the Author

Joseph and JoAnn Callaway are real estate agents who managed to reach $1 billion in real estate sales in their first ten years of business. They have sold over 5,000 homes and give talks to various associations and groups from coast to coast.

© Joseph Callaway and JoAnn Callaway: Clients First copyright 2013, John Wiley & Sons Inc. Used by permission of John Wiley & Sons Inc. and shall not be made available to any unauthorized third parties.

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Money & Investments

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