Building and Maintaining Client Relationships
You’ve signed a new client and are ready to get started! Congratulations!!! Now here comes the hard part – and I don’t mean the actual work you’ve agreed to take on. Relationships are such a key part of business. Your clients are so important, not only in the work that you do for them, but in how they can help to grow your business and network through testimonials and referrals.
When you are developing your relationship with your client it is so important to make your Boundaries clear from the get go (more on that here *link to blog post) and to stick to them throughout your relationship. But boundaries don’t have to be a bad thing. There should be an easy flow to conversation with your client. Even if you’re working remotely, people still crave connection and if someone is trusting you (and paying you) for work that you are completing on their behalf, and on the behalf of their business, they need to feel comfortable with you and that you have their best interests at heart. It’s okay to ask questions outside of work, and to follow up on a personal item they may have mentioned previously. Keep a few notes in your CRM or notebook that you can take a quick peak at the next time you speak. Maybe they mentioned they were house hunting or their daughter is graduating from university in the spring, or they’re thinking about getting a pet. These remembrances are thoughtful and show your client that you are actually listening to them when they talk to you.
Keeping in mind that that personal touch in business can go such a long way, don’t forget to make note of milestones in your client’s life that they have shared with you – a birthday or anniversary card / email / call is professional while still showing that you’ve listened to them and they are important to you beyond a pay-cheque. If you send out a monthly or quarterly newsletter, be sure to include them in your mailing list (with their consent). If you don’t interact in-person on a regular basis, schedule a bi-weekly or monthly video call with them just to check-in and make sure you’re both on the same page. Even if it’s just 15minutes of idle chit-chat they’ll appreciate that you’re going above and beyond the task list and are genuinely invested in ensuring you are taking care of all of their business needs.
This can also extend to past clients. Particularly clients that you worked with on a large-scale project or for a length of time. Just because your contract has ended, doesn’t mean the relationship has to. By staying in touch with the occasional email, coffee, or lunch you are keeping you and your business at the top of their mind. They might not need your services any longer, but they may very well know someone (or multiple people) who do! Referrals are such a huge part of business and by presenting yourself as not just professional, but caring and warm as well, gives your clients (and prospective clients) an instant feeling of relief that they and their business are in the right hands.
