hello

I wonder if any entrepreneurs/business owners on this forum would share any insights re doing business with Canada

i.e. any major differences to the UK?
Expectations?

how do prospects/customers like to be approached etc?

any useful insights will be much appreciated!

Thanks

What type of business?

For example, I imagine that the way a hairdresser gets customers is very different to how an engineer does.

We have clients not customers.

What's the difference?

Customers buy something, clients buy someone. Sorry clients pay for a service. So hairdressers and engineers have clients.

For many years the DWP has been calling recipients of funds customers. Always seemed so wrong until I read a definition of a customer along the lines of someone you're concerned with.
Still thought client was better though, although Insured Person and applicant/claimant did the job well enough back in the old days.
Social workers also have clients who don't pay for their service.

It often makes little sense.

I was using the term the OP used.

Having run a business in Canada myself for a number of years, I thought I may be able to offer the OP some advice.

I will bow out of this thread and hope that the OP will get advice from others with relevant experience.

I was being facetious and for that I apologies. Your point that it all depends on the business was well made and perfectly valid.

Subjective. You buys something, item or service you are a customer. Hotels call them guests, even some retail stores do, bottom line is we are customers if we spend money somewhere, however warm and fuzzy one wants to dress it up.

Oooh Oooh Me Me!


So: Policy Holder, Life Insured / assured, Grantee, Applicant, Beneficiary, Trustee, Member (yes really!), Scheme, Group, Assignee, Owner....


Apologies for the digression

It goes a little deeper than that though.

'Strictly defined, a customer is someone who buys goods or services from a store or business. The word "client" can also mean "customer," according to the American Heritage Dictionary, but it has a separate definition as someone who receives professional services. In business, the two terms are often applied differently based on the types of relationships built. Customers are generally people who come to you mainly to buy products or services you supply. Clients buy your advice and solutions personalized to their particular needs.'

What Is the Difference Between a Customer Vs. a Client? | Chron.com

The point I would raise is: Would an engineer (or any other profession) refuse to take money from a person that insisted upon being called a customer, rather than a client?

I get that certain professions (accountants, engineers, lawyers, etc.) love to attempt to distinguish themselves by the use of particular terminology but a four pronged digging implement will move earth irrespective of whether I call it a fork or a spade.

@Hurlabrick

I have never had a person with whom I do business insist on being called a customer. In fact most refer to themselves as 'The Client' as do the vast majority of construction and professional services contracts under which we do business. So the term "Client' is actually a legally defined term. Have you ever heard of a lawyer refer to defending their customer in court?

Us Engineers are quite anally retentive when it comes to correct terminology as it can get very confusing when they get mixed up (especially when we start mixing symbols (many of which are from Greek alphabet and abbreviations into the mix).

To, tentatively, link this back to the OP's post you could very quickly upset a potential client by calling them a customer in certain professions. So using the correct terminology for the business area is important.

A spade and a fork are two very different tools (only the fork has prongs) the spade is a rectangular flat piece of metal for digging. A square curved piece of metal used only for moving soils or other materials is a shovel.

This implies a degree of sensitivity about nomenclature that suggests they need to crawl out from their own ass.

I've never lost business due to a person giving a damn about what they're called, so long as it's polite and respectful.