By Mike Myatt, Chief StrategyOfficer, N2growthCommercial Real Estate is theepitome of a professional services business, and as such should bebuilt upon building a loyal client following. So my question isthis...Is your business built around customers or clients? Are yousimply a purveyor of products and services to yourcustomers or do you enlighten, add value, inform, advise,counsel, and advocate on behalf of your clients? There is notonly a definitional difference between the termscustomers and clients, but there arealso tremendous strategic, operational, andphilosophical differences between companies who sell customersand those that serve clients. In today's post we'll go beyondsemantics and definitions to get at the core ofsome principles that can radically improve your business, yourbrand, and your future...While many people may think of the wordsclient and customer as beinginterchangeable, nothing could be further from the truth. Thedefinition of a customer is simply someone that buys goods orservices. The term customer is an external referencethat puts the emphasis on selling. At first blush I'm sure some ofyou might be wondering what's wrong with that, but before youdraw any conclusions let's look at the definition of a client...Thedefinition of a client is someone who is under your care andprotection. This is an internal reference that places theemphasis on serving. In other words, if youhave customers your goal is to get them to buy something, andif you serve clients your goal is to look out for their bestinterests. Think about it like this...is your personal preferenceto be sold or served? When you're in the marketplace as a consumerdo you seek out professionals whom you can trust or peddlersselling a product?If you think carefully about what I'vewritten thus far you'll find that you really shouldn't beseeking customers after thinking through the definitionaldifferences provided above, rather you should be lookingto serve clients. Your goal should not be tofind customers who make a one time purchase simply becauseyou have the "goods" they need right now. Rather your goalshould be to build sustainable relationships with clientswho value your professional advice based upon the strength of yourbrand and the need for your expertise. Another way of examining thecontrast between clients and customers is to ask yourself whetheryou desire to be paid for what you do for your clients, or what youhand your customers.The distinctions being made in this text arereally much more than splitting hairs over semanticaldifferences...they boil down to accepting a philosophy andbuying into a mindset that separates selling from advising,serving, protecting, and stewarding. The sad reality isthat many businesses still operate their sales organizationswith the same principles and techniques they were using in the 70'sand 80's. Trust me when I tell you that your prospectiveclients have heard it all before and can seethe worn-out, old school closes coming a mile away. Theycan sniff antiquated selling strategies and will tune out onyour presentation such that it's actually over before you even getstarted. Stop selling customers and start servicingclients...If you are operating on a franchised one-size fits allsales model you are likely missing substantial opportunities andare not even aware of it. If you focus on cultivatingclient relationships you will become indispensable forwhat you know (the experience, knowledge, andinformation you can transfer), how you add value, and how youmake clients feel about the interaction. When you do that,you're building a client base, not a customerlist. When you peel back the layers on healthyclient/professional relationships the one thing you willalways find as a constant is a bond of trust, which in turn createsthe much desired, but rarely achieved, result of a loyal businessrelationship. Well conceived client/professional engagementsare sustainable relationships with ongoing opportunities for bothparties. Bottom line...companies built upon a client-centricfocus attract and retain better talent, command premium prices,have more highly regarded brands, create loyal clientrelationships, and generate more revenue overthe lifecycle of a relationship. Regardless of thebusiness you're in, if you make the paradigm shift in thought, andin action, from customer to client your business will become ahealthier and more competitive enterprise.