Top Tips on how to spot the good service providers from the bad

If you’ve ever looked for a service provider for your business, you know it’s an absolute minefield out there.

There seem to be an unlimited number of marketers, accountants, web developers, sales people and other business support providers in the market. How on earth are you supposed to know who is the right one to go for and who you can trust to deliver?

There are some obvious red flags in terms of poor websites, poorly written marketing materials or miracle promises that you probably already know to avoid. But what about all the ones that know how to present themselves quite well up until you get to actually see the quality of their work? They have impressive marketing, a solid sales process and next thing you know you’ve invested a tidy sum and the results are nowhere to be seen.

Recommendations from people you know and trust are a good first port of call, but just because someone was good for another business doesn’t automatically mean they are right for your needs. More so, it’s actually pretty rare for friends/referrers to have done any deep level of due diligence on their recommendations. So make sure you always do your own.

So how can you spot a good credible service provider that will deliver what they say they will? These are the criteria that I look for in anyone I work with at minimum:

1) They add value to you and your business before you’ve even paid them a penny.
Real experts give their advice away as they know that it doesn’t take away from their business. Their motives are to help, not just to make money, and this will show in their results should you work with them.

2) They have a good number of client/customer reviews, testimonials or case studies that they are willing to share with you or better yet make readily available. Why would anyone not shout their success stories from the roof-tops?

3) They are able to provide some sort of guarantee.
Any expert worth their salt will back up their claims with a solid no nonsense guarantee. Now I will stipulate that almost all service related guarantees will require you to play your part, as no agency or 3rd party alone will be able to grow your business for you, but they can certainly guarantee their part of what they are promising. You should have the peace of mind knowing that if they don’t deliver what they said they would, you should get your money back.

4) They offer a freebies or tasters of their service where feasible.
Any business confident in the value they can provide will want you to experience this first hand where possible.

5) They want to ensure you’re a good fit for them!
Good service provider know that not all customers are right for them, and they are picky about who they want to work with. If they make this clear to you and require a discovery phase, this shows promise as they aren’t just looking to take your money at the first opportunity.

I’ve found these criteria have helped me tremendously and I hope they help you too!

Happy hunting.

Jugal