Earning Your Client’s Trust and Respect

Part 2 of 5 Tips for a Successful Client Relationship Management

Have you ever wondered how to earn your clients’ trust and respect? When your clients trust you, oftentimes they will be eager to listen to your ideas and be easier to handle because they believe in your capacities. With that trust, your clients will also be less likely to second guess you and look for mistakes. Trust is an important factor in attaining successful client relationship management. That’s why we’ll focus on ways to earn your client’s trust and respect in this part of our blog series. Every working relationship can be smooth when both parties trust and respect each other. That’s why it’s important for you to earn your client’s trust and respect. Processes and changes within the company will progress faster because of that trust To earn your client’s trust and respect, here are 3 ways that you should start doing now.

1. Respect Your Client’s Time, System, and Work Style.

The first key to earning your client’s trust and respect is by simply valuing them. You can do this by respecting their time, system or procedures, and their work styles.

Be Early and Prepared for Calls and Meetings.

It is never a good practice to arrive and start a meeting late. It doesn’t only ruin your image with your clients, but it’ll also consume their valuable time. Instead, arrive earlier than the scheduled meeting time. Arriving early gives you extra time to prepare while waiting for them. You can set-up the projector to have a quick dry run of your presentation. Doing this may help you see a potential problem that may arise in the middle of your presentation. For example, a non-playing video in your presentation or if you neglected to save the presentation to your thumb drive. This prep-time will help you prevent unexpected problems. Meanwhile, if you have a valid excuse for being late, just inform the meeting leaders. Do not forget to also inform your estimated time of arrival, and whether they should wait for you or not.

Be Aware of the Time During a Meeting.

If the meeting will run later than expected, ask everyone whether they have another appointment to get to. If that is the case, inform them that you’ll send them an outline of the rest of the meeting via email.

Don’t Cancel a Meeting at the Last Minute without the Client’s Prior Knowledge.

Canceling a meeting at the last minute without notifying clients earlier is unprofessional and a waste of time for everyone. It’s good practice to call the client if you really need to cancel or reschedule. If they don’t answer your call, always leave a message.

Observe and Remember your Client’s System and Work Style.

Observe your client’s language. Different clients may have different choices in the words they use. For example, some may call the color “purple” but some may call it “plum.” Doing so will help you to communicate with your clients easier using the similar language.

2. Do What You Promised to Do.

Another thing that will earn your client’s trust is by keeping your promises. Once you promised to deliver at a given date, try your best to do it. On top of everything else, clients will be impressed with your follow-through. Even with a deadline, don’t sacrifice the quality of your work. Don’t just settle for mediocrity,  but always strive for excellence. If your clients are impressed with your work ethic, they may even recommend you to other clients.

3. Be you and be real.

Remove all pretenses when you’re in a meeting and show your true self. This helps you to earn respect and your clients will feel at ease listening to you. Be honest. Even if missing a deadline means disappointing your clients, telling the truth is more important. If you are not going to make your deadline, tell the client about it. This builds their trust in you because they will know that you’re honest, not lying, and making up excuses.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we discussed how you can earn your client’s trust and respect in today’s blog post. Be sure to remember these tips so you’ll know how to deal with your clients in your future meetings. If you want to earn your client’s respect, you should also know how to respect their time, system and work style. More importantly, never let your clients down by not doing what you promised. Keep your word and be yourself all the time. Once you follow these tips, you’ll begin to earn your client’s trust. Keep in mind that you’ll have to be ready to face any problems that your clients may have regarding your work. It doesn’t mean that they will end their partnership with you. In the next part of this series, you will learn how to deal with an unhappy client. Reference: Seer Photo Credits: Games Answers, GreenBiz