Bespoke. An adjective beloved by marketers and tailors alike.
Bespoke has become a synonym for quality. It flatters the buyer.
But it has another definition that most businesses overlook.
The definition overleaf states that bespoke means ‘custom-made’. A solution made for that individual customer. Not made for what you want your customer to be. Not what you think their marketing personality may be.
A solution made for them and them alone.
Bespoke today
A quick Google of 'bespoke services' provides me with hundreds of options. I can find bespoke estate agents, bespoke cleaners and even a bespoke rehab facility. A cursory review of their about us pages reveals that their services are not bespoke. They are offering the same services as their competitors. Just presented in a fancier font with a larger bill attached.
Bespoke is an aspirational term. Marketers use it to capture the attention of B2C businesses with wealthier clients. It entices B2B businesses with hopes to expand into new markets.
In their view bespoke means it looks fancy and expensive.
How can your business reclaim the word bespoke? How can you you offer a great service that you can take pride in?
Let’s take a deep dive into this metaphor to see what we can learn. Let’s think about the origins of this word. Let us take a look at how a tailor actually creates a suit.
Measurements
What does a tailor do before he crafts a suit? Before they even pick up their sheers they will take their client's measurements.
This means taking an honest appraisal of the client's situation as it is, not what they pretend to be. A client may tell you that they have a handle of their social media presence but don't even have a LinkedIn profile. They may tell you they want to expand their website but don't own a domain.
I mean who is always honest about their waist measurement?
This doesn’t mean assuming that your customer is a liar. It means doing your own due diligence before taking on a brief.
A company may hire you to write completion emails for an online fashion website. Only for you to find out that they have no sales flow. They could hire you to code an online registration form only to find out that they are breaching GDPR.
A tailor will check your waist measurement even though you swear it is only 30 inches. You need to take a measure of a client’s resources and current position in the market. This will save you and your clients valuable time.
Listen
Then the tailor listens to what the client wants to achieve. Do they want a particular style? Is this a formal or an informal piece? Is this content for work or play?
The more information you can gather from your client the better. At first the tailor doesn't focus on the specifics like colour or pattern. They find out how they want their client to feel about the finished piece. Who will use this new website and when?
This is not an uncritical process. Different clothes suit different bodies. Every business has unique needs. The customer may not understand what they need to complete their business objectives. This does not mean that you return to the previous approach and give them an off the shelf solution.
It means you listen.
In my research for this blog several words kept cropping up. One in particular stood out - quirks. A quirk is a desired and unusual detail that would usually get lost in an off the shelf solution. These quirks will seem an oddity and an inconvenience to you. Yet to a customer it will matter a lot (You can read more about this idea in our blog here.)
Fitting
The most important question - is the client happy with the product?
Does it look, and more importantly, feel how they imagined it?
A fitting isn’t a quick look at the suit. The customer tries it on; they stretch and practice sitting in it. Be like the tailor. Let your client explore that new app you built for them. Let them digest the sales copy you have written for this business. Give them space to do this, don't force them to do this hurriedly in your office.
Then there is feedback. A customer tries on the suit and makes suggestions. It might not be exactly how they pictured the finished result. This is inconvenient for you. Remember, you have advertised yourself as a bespoke service. This is what you have in fact promised your customer.
There is an element of negotiation with this. Not you against the client. But you and the client against the problem looking for the solution.
Alteration
This is where you refine the product to meet and exceed the client’s expectations. It is at this point that you prove you are a bespoke designer. You want your new website or sales copy to fit the client like a new suit. It should be crisp like it always belonged there and is exactly what they need.
Saying that there will only be one fitting and set of alterations is naïve and optimistic. But, by this point you will have established an honest relationship with your client. Now that you have a sound understanding of each other's needs these alterations will be easy.
This is what makes a suit bespoke. Not fancy fabrics but a professional relationship. A tailored suit fits like a glove. You want this for your client too. You want your product to fit so perfectly that they will be unable to operate without your support.
Let’s say that you had never listened or taken measurements. That you had given your client an off the shelf solution instead? You would have no idea of their true needs and unable to communicate with the client effectively.
How do you apply this process?
The way that you put this idea into action will be unique to your business. By following the key principles below you will be on your way to providing a truly bespoke solution.
Simply follow the process:
Measure - who is your client at this moment in time?
Listen - what does your client really want? What do they need exactly?
Fitting - why aren’t they happy? Where can your product improve?
Alteration - go the extra mile, exceed their expectations.
Fit and Alter until perfect.
Conclusion
Every approach has its risks. What is the downside of this approach? It will take more time. Your Initial interactions with clients will be longer. You will need to be in contact with your client more often. Prices may rise to account for an increase in labour.
And the upside? The client will get exactly what they need. They will be far happier and more likely to recommend you. Digital businesses bombard customers with jargon and off the shelf solutions. Don't be like your competitors. You can guide them through the often scary digital world and give them a tailor made solution.
Does some of this seem too much for you and your business? Remember that this is the service you promise when you advertise a bespoke service.
Bespoke shouldn’t be another synonym for good. It is your promise that your product will be specifically crafted for your customer. It means taking the extra step to listen and observe what your client needs. Not what you want to sell them. What they need - a tailor made solution.
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