You just hired a private charter with Access Jet Group to meet a potential new client. You’re thrilled about this opportunity, and you want to make sure that you build the foundation for a positive relationship with them.
Here are 4 tips on building a positive relationship with clients!
Maintain Regular Contact with Them
It’s important that you regularly stay in contact with your clients. You don’t want them only hearing from you when it’s scheduled or absolutely necessary. This could lead to an inconsistent relationship with them. Any relationship requires regular communication, and there’s no difference when it comes to your clients.
You don’t want your client to feel that you’re too busy to keep in regular contact with them. A great consultant or business leader knows how to make their clients feel important. If you find that you don’t have the time to stay connected with them, it’s time to put a practice in place where this is possible. After all, communication is paramount when it comes to developing a positive relationship with clients – this could be a simple email each week.
Go Out of Your Way
Clients know that you’re busy, but this doesn’t mean that they don’t appreciate feeling special. Going out of your way to help your clients is what will set you apart from other business leaders. You don’t want to simply offer them the bare minimum. Instead, you want to always offer more.
It takes more time to go above and beyond for your client, but it is certainly possible if you manage it correctly. Set aside some time every week or two to spend 10 to 20 minutes brainstorming and coming up with new ideas for your client. After you do this, be sure to reach out to them to let them know what you’ve come up with. Trust us, this will make them value you even more.
Encourage Their Input
Your client hired you for advice or to take over an area of their lives or business where they need help with. It’s important to keep in mind that just because you’re an expert in your field – they know their business the best. This is why it’s vital that you encourage their ideas and input as far as their business is concerned. Seeking their input requires you to put aside your leadership hat and open up to their new ideas, concerns, and wishes.
A common mistake in business leadership is that there’s a lack of openness and transparency. You might think you’re doing what’s best for your client, but without their insight – you run the risk of making a mistake or not living up to their expectations. While as a leader you’ll be consistently reaching out to them, you also need to make sure they do so in return. Encourage your clients to share their thoughts with you and that no insight is too small.
Managing Conflicts
While we do our best to be effective and successful leaders, this doesn’t mean that conflicts won’t ever arise. Part of running a business means that you run the risk of running into problems that you didn’t foresee coming – this is just part of it. How you handle these unforeseen conflicts is what’s key.
If a conflict arises, it’s paramount that you acknowledge and address it as soon as possible. (Definitely don’t try to hide it from your client!) Instead, evaluate how the conflict happened and what steps you’ll do to prevent it moving forward. This helps your client to trust you and view you in a positive light.
