Assumptions can get us into trouble—whether it is in our personal lives or our professional ones. When it comes to our home businesses, we might assume that our customers or clients already know things about our products or services, or specific industry trends or other details affecting our work. It is better to err on the side of caution and assume that they do NOT know, instead of marching on as if there are “givens” that everyone is aware of.
I have seen this issue pop up again and again in work situations. We have a tendency to assume that people understand our mission, or know what they are supposed to do with a particular product; we assume people can figure out how to fill out an order form or navigate a web site—it is a good idea to look at all of your marketing materials, web site and other business operations with a critical eye. Assume that you are a complete novice and see if you can understand what is expected. If not, then you may be expecting too much from your clients or customers.
I know that there are some extremely specialized industries and businesses where our clients are knowledgeable and it is unadvisable for us to “talk down” to people. But, I do think it is still a good idea to keep in the back of our minds that question—“Do they understand what is going on? Or Am I expecting and assuming too much?” We do not want to imagine that our clients and customers are ignorant or unable to assimilate information or that they know nothing about our industry, products, or services, but we also need to make sure that we are making things accessible and available to them—otherwise they might take their business elsewhere.
Also: It Costs Less to Keep Existing Customers
Who Can You Blame When the Ball Gets Dropped?