Relationships are tricky, and it’s no different when it comes to the one with your clients. Establishing and maintaining a healthy relationship with clients is the road to growth and opportunity for your business.
Every relationship is different, particularly depending on the type of services you provide. You could be working with a company like Hiner Outdoor Living or a freelance artist. Either way, the tips we included can be applied to almost any client relationship.
Stay in Touch
Regular communication between you and your clients is key. You don’t want to establish a relationship with your client then fall off the grid. After all, you are working for them. As with any relationship, open and honest communication is paramount.
Keep your client informed of any issues or changes – big or small. If there isn’t much to update your client on, it’s still important you keep in regular contact. This could be as simple as drafting an email letting them know everything is running smoothly.
You want to be a business your clients can trust, and that starts with regular contact. Consistently reaching out to your client shows you are reliable. As we all know, trust and reliability are two traits that are necessary to keep a client happy and content with your services.
Offer New Ideas
If you want to be the best in your line of work, it will require you to do some out-of-the-box thinking. You shouldn’t simply do the bare minimum when it comes to providing for your client. Allocate some time each week, even 10 minutes, to brainstorm ideas that could benefit your client (in turn, benefiting you).
Once you’ve come up with some great ideas, be sure to share them with your client during your next call or meeting. You can be sure that your client will appreciate you going above and beyond. This kind of practice sets you apart from your competition.
Listen to Them
While you are the expert in your field, your client knows their business the best. Go into each conversation with this in mind. If you assume you know all there is to know about them, you’ve already lost.
It’s also incredibly important that if you’re not clear on something – ask. You don’t want to assume you know what your client wants if they didn’t directly say it. It would be a waste and potentially detrimental to your relationship with them if you make a decision that was incorrect.
Conflict Resolution
If you follow the tips above, it’s not likely you’ll run into issues with your clients. However, that doesn’t mean it won’t happen – there are many things outside of your control. How you handle these unfortunate situations play a huge role in the longevity and health of your relationship with your client.
Should you encounter a conflict, it’s best to address it as soon as possible. This doesn’t mean calling them before analyzing the situation. Instead, go into the conversation prepared. If it was an issue that was your fault, admit to it immediately and provide a concrete action plan on how you’ll resolve it and prevent it from happening again in the future.