Here are four ways to ensure that you start on the right foot building positive relations that last long:
Research on Client’s Industry and Company
Research your potential customers and clients much before approaching them for a meeting or proposal. The more you know about them and your industry, the more trust you can garner during the introduction meeting and all subsequent discussions and meetings. In the tech savvy world there are many simple ways to research on the we. Some such ways are, signing up for relevant Google alerts, and researching and getting to know your clients’ organization on the social networks like LinkedIn. Or joining organizations which can help with some research like the Australian Bookkeepers Network.
The more you know, the more places you’ll go and the more network you can grow.
Respect and Response
One of the most important etiquette that you must be aware in building stronger client relations is to respect your clients’ time. If you have a meeting with your client, make sure you are on time. Do not take any extra minute of their time. Respect can be shown in small gestures and being punctual to all meetings and responding on time to their queries. On that note, Emails might be the golden standard of correspondence in business, but it does not have to be. Many people prefer direct contact over phone or over coffee. Spend some time understanding your client’s communication preferences and act accordingly. Going an extra mile to communicate in the way they desire might mean a lot to them. In the end building stronger relations and trust.
Be Clear on Call to Action
Everyone is busy. There’s hardly any time to keep track of hundreds of emails and the numerous marketing calls we receive each day. When someone simplifies the call-to-action process by informing us of the next steps clearly and precisely, it just makes our lives easier. An extremely important step in ensuring you receive the expected response or action to your proposal is to clarify the next steps and make sure your clients agree or propose revisiting them if required. At the end of the meeting summarize the next steps.
Make New Friends but Keep the Old Ones
Same saying goes for your clients as you build a new customer base at any stage of your business. You might need more partners and clients in your network and for the growth of the company, but the best and long-term business might come from the old ones. The ones who have come to trust you and like you. And these might be the ones who could say a good word about your work or your company and get you more partnerships even without a push or promotion from your end. Go an extra mile to thank your long-term clients by a simple thank you card once in a year or some gifts which do not feel out of the way something that reminds them of you or your company. The best business does come from repeat clients.