Today’s key habit for building strong client relationships: A Personal Touch.
Not everything has to be about business. We all appreciate genuineness, even in our professional relationships.
1. Engage Common Interests
Strive to find common interests and connections with your clients. Find opportunities to discuss, or do, a common interest together:
- Do you share a common hometown/state/alma mater?
- Do you share a hobby?
- Are you both fans of a sport/team?
These interests can fuel amicable conversations, and they are a fun way to step away from the office and a way to build meaningful connections with important professional connections.
These outings can help you understand your clients holistically and personally, equipping you to better help them professionally.
2. Be Their Biggest Fan
Acknowledge and celebrate your clients’ personal and professional successes.
Use your social media accounts – your personal and your business’s – to engage with their business’s social posts and updates. Be their biggest fan and supporter.
If you have exchanged personal social media with your clients, you can also engage and be supportive there when suitable.
Track your client’s important dates in your calendar, with a reminder the day of and one the week before, so you have time to prepare something for them.
Being relational is easier with an assistant. Entrepreneurs often find social media slipping toward the bottom of their priority lists.
At Superpowers, we understand you’re busy, but we also understand the value of maintaining relationships over social media.
So as a part of our Superpowers Curriculum, Coaching, and Community, our assistants receive training on representing their entrepreneurs on social media. They post and engage with your valuable business and personal connections through your social media account.
While you focus on your work, they can maintain your presence on social media while keeping you updated on important changes in your clients’ lives.
Relationship building often is the most valuable thing you can do as an entrepreneur, but it can fall to the wayside as routine administrative tasks get in the way.
An assistant can again be the solution, taking routine tasks off your plate and giving you the freedom to focus on high-value relationships with your clients.
3. Embrace integrity and honesty
Be open and honest, don’t put on a “superman” persona. This lack of honesty slows progress and will eventually damage your client’s trust. Instead, communicate promptly when you have hangups, questions, and things you need clarity on.
As you know, we need to approach transparency strategically. Haphazard sharing of information disconcerts clients and they may lose confidence in you. Instead, remember: bring solutions, not problems.
If you must bring a problem or question to them, do all the groundwork you can beforehand. Know exactly what you need from them, and fill in all the other blanks around the part only they can address.
Make a mistake? Own it. Diverting blame or hiding the problem erodes trust more than the original mistake.
Remember to be “already on it” when you reach out to the client; have viable fixes already in the works. A strong and timely response to a shortcoming is the best way to begin restoring trust.
4. Thank Them
A simple “thank you” can go a long way. Intentionally express appreciation:
- Verbal Thank yous – Send written/spoken thank yous by email, postcard, video, written letter, etc. A good time to send a thank you is an anniversary or another milestone in your professional relationship – or general milestones for your company and theirs.
- Help solve peripheral problems – Help them solve problems that are outside of the main scope of your service. Go out of your way to do it yourself or give them a referral to another service that can help. Selfless actions go a long way.
- Give gifts – Hold giveaways and/or send gifts directly to your clients. Even small gifts can go a long way.
- Provide exclusives – Launching a new product or service? Give current clients early access or exclusive pricing. You may also consider exclusive incentives based on a loyalty program. Exclusives may be special training, pricing, or product/service packages.
Conclusion
Building strong customer relationships requires a personal touch, so consider how you can make your client relationships personal today!
Have any other strategies you would find useful? Feel free to share them below! Check out our other tips on building strong client relationships on the Superpowers Blog
Interested in starting your journey with an Executive Assistant? We’re happy to discuss the process with you! Book a discovery call today!
