Building Your Client Relationships
Building Your Client Relationships
You can build client relationships in two ways: on a personal level or a professional level. A personal relationship with your clients means going beyond the boundaries of their business and getting to know them as people, not just clients. You learn about their family, their hobbies and their dreams. You can connect with them on a personal level by sending them birthday greetings or asking about their family and hobbies. When you have tickets to a sporting event you know they enjoy, ask them to go with you or simply give them your tickets to enjoy with their family or friends. By connecting with your clients in this way, you are reinforcing your business relationship and building a rapport and trust that go beyond the client relationship.
Building a professional relationship often means exceeding your client’s expectations of you and your business. For example:
* Share your contacts. If your client needs assistance in a particular area, whether it is your field or not, share your contacts who might be able to help your client become more successful. Let them know you care about their success and not just your own.
* Make face-to-face contact. Many business relationships these days are conducted over the Internet or by phone. But, whenever possible, it’s nice to see your clients face-to-face. imageThis strengthens your relationships and adds a personal touch to the professional level. Plus, people like the reassurance that comes from personal contact.
* Avoid nickel-and-diming. I’ve heard lawyers say to their clients, “Why didn’t you come and see me sooner?” Well, they probably were afraid of getting charged, so they waited until it was too late. But, if the client knew that the lawyer wouldn’t charge for every minute of the consultation, the client may be more likely to see him. This puts your clients at ease and keeps communication open and fluid.
Generally speaking, you want to retain your clients. (And trust me, I know there are ones on occasion that you want to get rid of.) Next to offering a great product or service, relationship building is the best way to keep your clients and establish long-term relationships.
Building Your Client Relationships - To learn more about this author, visit Tom Long's Website.
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When you have strong client relationships, they will tend to stay with your business for the long haul. As such, building relationships is an important part of marketing because it entails how you promote and sustain your business.
You can build client relationships in two ways: on a personal level or a professional level. A personal relationship with your clients means going beyond the boundaries of their business and getting to know them as people, not just clients. You learn about their family, their hobbies and their dreams. You can connect with them on a personal level by sending them birthday greetings or asking about their family and hobbies. When you have tickets to a sporting event you know they enjoy, ask them to go with you or simply give them your tickets to enjoy with their family or friends. By connecting with your clients in this way, you are reinforcing your business relationship and building a rapport and trust that go beyond the client relationship.
Building a professional relationship often means exceeding your client’s expectations of you and your business. For example:
* Share your contacts. If your client needs assistance in a particular area, whether it is your field or not, share your contacts who might be able to help your client become more successful. Let them know you care about their success and not just your own.
* Make face-to-face contact. Many business relationships these days are conducted over the Internet or by phone. But, whenever possible, it’s nice to see your clients face-to-face. imageThis strengthens your relationships and adds a personal touch to the professional level. Plus, people like the reassurance that comes from personal contact.
* Avoid nickel-and-diming. I’ve heard lawyers say to their clients, “Why didn’t you come and see me sooner?” Well, they probably were afraid of getting charged, so they waited until it was too late. But, if the client knew that the lawyer wouldn’t charge for every minute of the consultation, the client may be more likely to see him. This puts your clients at ease and keeps communication open and fluid.
Generally speaking, you want to retain your clients. (And trust me, I know there are ones on occasion that you want to get rid of.) Next to offering a great product or service, relationship building is the best way to keep your clients and establish long-term relationships.
Building Your Client Relationships - To learn more about this author, visit Tom Long's Website.
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David BarrDavid Barr is the President of Venture Opportunities, Inc. David has been a professional business broker/intermediary since 1980 focusing on General Business Brokerage and Mergers and Acquisitions representing client transaction value from $400,000 to $20,000,000. Mr. Barr has handled the sale of over four hundred and fifty companies. David earned a university degree from the State University of New York majoring in economics and business. David holds the Mergers and Acquisition Master Intermediary and the Certified Business Intermediary designations from the International Business Brokers Association. He is also a Senior Business Analyst and a Texas licensed Real Estate Agent. For more information about David and Venture Opportunities, visit www.bizdealmaker.com. - Visit David Barr's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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