5 Strategies To Cultivate Client Relationships

Relationship building and maintenance is one of the most important components in client-facing business. While onboarding new clients is key in scaling your business and seeing continuous growth, ongoing support and care for existing clients is a great strategy to keep your project pipeline full and can lead to referrals.

Building a strong relationship with clients earns trust and once a client knows you are dependable and can support their needs, they will engage you in future projects.

Here are five strategies to cultivate lasting client relationships.

Understanding Your Client’s Goals & Priorities

To build a cooperative relationship, you first need to understand your client’s short-term needs and long-term goals and priorities. The ability to understand your client’s goals will help build a relationship of trust and mutual respect.

“Every company is different, and every customer has a different problem,” said Christine Van Pelt, an enterprise leader with extensive experience in the supply chain and logistics industry. “You find solutions knowing what their priorities and goals are. I had certain customers who would only talk to me. They knew I knew them, and I knew what they wanted.”

Understanding and catering your support directly to your client’s needs builds trust in your company and in the process and will ensure long-term partnership.

Speaking You Client’s Language

The most successful client service professionals adapt to their client’s processes, communication methods, and business habits rather than sticking to the tools and routines they are most comfortable with.

“I ask ‘What is the company?’ ‘What is my customer’s company’s main goal?’ ‘What can I do to make their life easier?’” said Van Pelt. “I always make sure to pay attention to what my customer needs and deliver it how they need it. It’s all about paying attention to what will make their lives easier.”

From the beginning stages of forging that client relationship, tap into your interpersonal skills to understand how your customer is approaching the situations they require your support in and tailor your communications and engagement accordingly.

Maintaining Constant Communication

The top priority as a client service professional is effectively and consistently communication with your customer. In conjunction with supporting efficient business practices, effective communication builds trust with your clients and makes them feel comfortable being open and honest with you.

“Customers want to know that they are special,” said Van Pelt, referencing the strong relationships she built with her clients seeking logistics support. “It’s important to keep them informed and maintain constant communication. If you are giving them bad news and giving them delays, at least keep them advised and make sure they can get by. Being proactive will help customers put things into perspective and deal with situations.”

Ensuring consistent communication will keep business operations aligned with your internal goals but will also make sure your client’s goals are met too. Providing insight and communicating when you experience roadblocks can stifle any additional discontent that may occur and opens up an opportunity to strategize cooperative solutions.

Staying Humble

As a client service professional, you are an expert in your specific company’s policies and procedures and industry standard. There is no feasible way to hold that same expertise in your client’s company.

Rather than a team member, you are a consultant on a specific problem your client is facing.

Don’t be afraid to defer to your client as the expert in their specific company and line of business. Admitting when you aren’t familiar with specific industry-related best practices or their company policy builds trust between yourself and your client, will safeguard a cooperative relationship, and will save you time in the long-term.

This sentiment extends internally, as well. Being humble among your team and leadership and continuously being open to learning allows you to grow your skillset and truly become an expert in internal processes and procedures.

Build Personal Relationships Alongside Business

While it is easy to view this relationship as a business transaction, treating your client as an individual rather than just a customer can go a long way in improving that bond. The extent of that personal connection will vary depending on industry, client type, and even your contact’s personality.

“There are many customers that I became friends with on the phone,” said Van Pelt. “They’re trying to figure out something and you help them and then they’ll help you.”

Creating a friendship will build a cooperative business relationship. Bridging the gap in communication opens opportunities to strategize and solve problems and improve both your business and your client’s business with each interaction.

Building relationships with your clients is the first step in creating long-term partnerships and continuous organizational growth. Clients are the backbone of customer-facing businesses and supporting those relationships is the key to long-term success.