The service industry covers a wide range of businesses and types of services, be it from marketing, distribution, advertising, events and so on. And in most of these businesses, the same 3 mistakes happen which always lead to frustration. Eventually, things tend to become easier, but the mistakes still surface every once in a while.

Here are the top 3 mistakes made by service providers:

My clients know everything.
This is the biggest mistake of all. You see, the problem starts with the many clients thinking they know everything! So, instead of working “with” you, they start making you work “for” them. More often than not, this either causes some head-butting and in some cases, you end up being blamed for delivering what the client has asked for! As a rule: Never Expect Anyone To Know Everything (or NEATKE).

My client understands anything I say
Another issue is many times two people have a discussion and walk away thinking two completely different things. As time moves on, they discover the “misunderstanding” and by then time and money are lost. TO avoid such a situation, always follow the TTTY rule. Talk To Two Year Old’s! That does not mean that you baby each other, but it means you make sure you are always super clear with each other so as no misunderstanding or misinterpretation is possible on any agreed points.

My client and colleagues know what I want from them
This speaks for itself! As true as this might be on occasion, it is not always the case. Unless you are very clear on what the requirements are, everyone will think in their own direction and more often than not, you will be surprised with the result and will need to redo the work in less time and more pressure. For this, apply the DEATKWYHIM rule; Don’t Expect Anyone To Know What You Have In Mind.

There are lots of more mistakes, why not share your points and make this a learning curve to the new guys on the block.