Today’s key habit for building strong client relationships: Know Your Client.
Customer confidence and loyalty are key indicators of future stability and growth. So how do we build healthy client relationships?
1. Study Your Client
Every client is an individual. For those providing a non-commodifiable service, it’s essential to understand and address the unique needs of each client.
Studying your client’s needs not only increases your ability to help but also demonstrates your investment in their success.
In every interaction with your clients, prioritize this thought:
Am I communicating my commitment to understanding them as an individual with unique needs?
How do you exhibit this? By putting in the groundwork. Even before we sit down with a potential client for our discovery call process, we conduct extensive research. We want to enter the discussion with a strong understanding of the client and their unique situation.
You can track down information about a potential client through numerous online sources.
Here are a few to get you started:
- Google Reviews
- Glassdoor
- The client’s website
- CrunchBase
When conducting your research, consider streamlining the process with a pre-established template.
Here are a few things to include:
- Their company vision statement (and other core values and motivators)
- Any short or long-term goals you can ascertain
- Recent growth/achievements
- Potential pain points where your product or service could be valuable to them
2. Listen to Your Client
To understand your client the best, go right to the source.
This process begins in the discovery call. During your discovery calls, focus on listening over speaking.
Ask open-ended questions that will get them talking in detail. Avoid “yes” and “no” questions.
Here are a few examples:
- What is your company’s current main goal? What obstacles are preventing you from reaching it?
- Why are you considering (product/service)?
- In a perfect world, what would your personal and professional life look like in ____ years?
- What dangers like dropped balls or missed deadlines do you think are at risk without having the right help?
- What opportunities do you think you may be missing because you don’t have the right help?
3. Stay Consistent
Building client relationships requires ongoing effort. What was right for them yesterday may not be right for them today.
Be aware of how things have changed for them. This will help you adjust your approach to their growth and needs. You may also identify entirely new needs.
How to stay engaged: Make sure you are frequently tracking their website, news mentions, and social media to stay aware of how you can best serve their needs.
Life is busy. Actively keeping tabs on your clients can seem unattainable when you are juggling so many other tasks. Fortunately, an Executive Assistant can help.
Our Superpowers Executive Assistants are trained to represent you by engaging with valuable business and personal connections through your social media accounts.
While you focus on your work, they can maintain your presence on social media, follow news releases, and keep you updated on important changes in your clients’ lives.
Establish a formal schedule for dialoguing with your client about their needs. Consistent touchpoints allow you to hear directly from your client how their needs shift over time.
We champion the value of client check-ins. We have check-ins around the first 30, 60, and 90 days of a client’s contract. These check-ins provide 3 benefits:
1. They provide a space specifically designed for the entrepreneur to give adjusting feedback
2. They allow for continued idea exchange with the client
3. They help minimize blind spots in our and the client’s approaches by bringing our two perspectives together.
Conclusion
Building strong client relationships requires consistency, so today is the best day to start!
How do you communicate your commitment to understanding and meeting your clients’ unique needs?
Feel free to share below!
Check out our other tips on building strong client relationships on the Superpowers Blog
Interested in hearing how an Executive Assistant can help you and your business? We’re happy to discuss the process with you! Book a discovery call today!
