The delicate relationship between you and your client is just that; delicate. You never want to put your foot in your mouth, both figuratively and literally. But at the same time, you want to convey the confidence and the swag that is your awesome client relationship skills.
See? Delicate.
Learn how to have a successful client by checking out the following tips to make sure you don’t say or do something you’ll regret when talking with client:
- “Oh, I love my overly-expensive-awesome-Bently-Jaguar-car.” This is a big no. Clients don’t want to feel like they’re being overcharge to support your sweet ride. And let’s face it, no one likes a show off.
- “Yeah, don’t do business with that other company. They’re terrible.” Don’t ever bad mouth the competition, it just makes you look immature. Instead, emphasize your strengths and show how classy you are by taking the high road.
- Mangling your client’s name and company. Do your research people! It takes merely minutes to understand your client and their company. Bring up that fancy time tracking tool you have and schedule that in. There is nothing worse than mispronouncing a name or company.
- “Bro, I’ve got to tell you about my crazy weekend!” Although I do advocate a personal relationship with your client, there is fine line to be walked. Talking about your family, the weather, and location are always safe. Venturing into your shenanigans over the weekend? I’d stay away.
- “I’ll put my best team on this right away!” Great! That’s awesome! But… you just inadvertently told your client that you have a “best team” and a “not-so-best team.” Instead, tell your client your entire company is the best and that you will deliver.
- “No.” Well… at least not a right-out “no.” This can ruin the relationship with your client. Try different ways to saying no to your client. In fact, check out our blog on how to say “no” without really saying “no.”
- “Yeah, that’ll be between $800 and $1000.” You client just heard $800 and you just heard $1000. Disappointment is bound to ensue on both ends. Be direct. Be honest. Be upfront on price quotes (and time frames).
- “Oh look at you! When are you expecting?” Don’t assume. Just don’t do it. Instead, have a nice intro conversation and stay with safer topics if you’re not sure. Nothings wrong with playing it a little safe over being an ass.
- “You’re going to love this, I know it.” That sounds good, right? It’s positive and upbeat, who wouldn’t want to hear that. But what happens when the client doesn’t love it? A disappointed and strained relationship with your client. Instead try this, “I think you’ll see the value on this idea.” Then open yourself for feedback.
- “That’s exactly what my other client said!” As you probably know, that client relationship is built on trust and mutual respect. Referring to other clients, even in a positive manner, shows that you have the tendency to gossip. And that can break down your trust.
Remember that your client is paying you for a service. They expect a certain level of commitment, professionalism, and deliverables. Be the confident, suave, client relationship guru that I know you are by following the above tips.
After all, “I love losing clients,” said no one ever.
Much success,
Looking for more great reads? Check out these related articles:
- Did We Just Become Best Friends? Becoming Cognizant of Your Client.
- B2b Marketing; Focus on One-on-ONe Customer Relationships
- How to Tell Your Client “No” Without Actually Saying “No”
- How to Convert an MQL to an SQL
- Understanding the Difference Between Sales Qualified Leads (SQLs) and Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs)
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