Building a strong client relationship is an essential aspect of any industry as it is a well known fact that a satisfied existing client is your best source of future business. Listed below are a few suggestions that can be followed towards developing a successful client relationship.
- Keep communication channels open: Clear and frequent communication is the key to any successful relationship. When explaining your ideas about the project, make sure you use simple technical terms that the client is familiar with, avoiding tech slang or jargon. Also take care to communicate with your client in the manner he prefers best, be it by phone, fax or e-mail.
- Accept mistakes: Taking full responsibility for mistakes that have been made on your part will assure your client that you are both mature and accountable. Learning to deal with critical comments in an honest manner will help both you and your client establish a more fruitful relationship.
- Always be prompt: Make it a habit to respond to your client as quickly as possible. Whether it is an email or a phone call, make sure that all their queries are answered.
- Follow through on your commitments: While working on a project, ensure that you set reasonable deadlines and do your best to follow through as promised. Always remember that nothing aggravates a client more than a commitment that has not been honored.
- Appreciate your client’s success: Taking an active interest in your client’s success helps in building a strong bond with your client. Showing your client that you care about their passion helps.
- Find ways to impress your client: Finding small ways to impress your client will make them choose your services the next time they have a project. If you promised a draft of the project in three weeks, deliver it in two. If you’ve been hired to design just the homepage, thrown in a bonus content page and your client will definitely be impressed.
- Keep sending regular status updates: Letting your client know about their project through regular status updates helps in building trust as this keeps your client aware of the exact position the project is in.
- Work hard to nurture the relationship: Getting to know a few personal details about your client will nurture the relationship and will be beneficial to both.
- Never send a surprise invoice: Always discuss all estimated fees and costs up front with your client. In case of any unforeseen costs that may develop during the execution of the project it is always better to first discuss the matter with the client before sending a surprise bill.
- Introduce the client to the team working on his project: Taking time to introduce your client to the team members working on his project helps the client become familiar with how the team works. It also helps the team to get to know the client’s expectations, thus making the end product much better.
It is important to remember that the above list is not all-inclusive and that each client relationship varies in different aspects. Like all other relationships, a client relationship too is built on trust and commitment. Following the above tips plus adding some of your own can go a long way in making your client happy.