5 TIPS TO BUILD AND MANAGE STRONG CLIENT RELATIONSHIPS
Nunzio Presta
Senior Sales and Marketing Executive
Tip #1: Get to Know Your Client and Their Brand
If you don’t do your homework, chances are your clients will know. When building relationships with clients, it’s imperative to do your research on their company and brand. If you’re in a client-facing role, your clients will hold you accountable for knowing the ins and outs of their brand; they will expect you to be aware of their mission, vision, and overall brand to communicate efficiently and quickly about their company’s goals and initiatives.
Tip #2: Set Clear Expectations and Goals
When you’re first building a relationship with a client, you want to set clear expectations and goals for your partnership. Both parties should be fully aware and committed to those expectations and goals to get the most out of your partnership. This can be done with a simple meeting or call where you and your client review your goals for the partnership and settle on the details of what that will look like in terms of workload, deliverables, and communication.
Tip #3: Communicate Effectively and Frequently
Communication is certainly part of the foundation for any successful business relationship, but it’s possible to communicate ineffectively with clients and this can result in a weaker relationship. Ineffective communication comes in many different forms and you might not realize that your communication practices are weakening the relationship you have with your client. Your time is valuable and so is your client’s, so it’s important to communicate effectively by sending concise emails and messages that are significant to your client.
Tip #4: Ask Your Client for Feedback
One way to build and strengthen your relationship with a client is through continuous and transparent feedback. Giving your client the opportunity to provide feedback to you will help you gauge what the strengths and weaknesses of your relationship with them are. It will also help you pivot your business strategy to make sure you are meeting and exceeding the expectations and goals that were set at the beginning of your partnership.
Tip #5: Provide Your Expertise
Your expertise is important and valuable to your clients. Your clients have decided to work with you because you have expertise and knowledge that fills a gap they have in their business or an area that they need filled in order to continue to succeed in the industry. Your wealth of knowledge in the industry will help maintain the strength of your relationships as long as you continue to provide what’s been asked of you in terms of your business relationship.
CONCLUSION
Building and managing strong client relationships can seem like a difficult task because we already handle many relationships on a daily basis as business professionals. However, by practicing habits such as effective communication, setting expectations, and asking for feedback, you will show your client that you are invested in your relationship and their success.
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