A Guest Post Written by Laura Buckler
Do you know which is one of the most important factors that differentiate the highly successful from the not-so-successful ones when building relationships with your clients?
One Word: Resources
That’s right. Being a resourceful individual is going to avoid trouble throughout your path to success.
In case you’re looking to achieve business success, being resourceful is no longer a “bonus” but rather a requirement. Nevertheless, these resources are provided – most of the times – by other individuals.
If you manage to establish strong connections with other people from your field and other fields, you’re more likely to be productive. That is because whenever you encounter a problem that one of your connections can help you with, you’re saving a lot of time, hustle, and money. You’ll get the solution in a matter of hours or days instead of weeks or months!
Without further ado, let’s talk about the ways in which you can effectively cultivate long-lasting relationships with your clients:
Communicate Exceptionally with All of Your Clients
If you want to build a relationship, especially with a business client, you need to build rapport first. You do that by understanding what language your client can grasp, what standards he has, and what objectives he has. Once you know who you’re dealing with, you can approach that person accordingly.
Think about it this way: if you manage to “speak his language”, your odds of winning his interest and trust are significantly improving. Exceptional communication is key to great relationships!
Read our top tips for choosing the right clients
Spend a Little Time with Them
Since we’re talking about long term relationships, it’s important to get involved in those interactions. The best way to get closer to someone is to spend time with him. The most efficient way is to organize face-to-face meetings that have a balanced nature.
A balanced meeting with a client is usually a time in which the personal combines with the professional. You have the time to talk about the professional matters that you’re both interested in, but you’re also initiating a fresh friendship that could represent more than work, money, or status.
Get Personal from Time to Time
Even though the main purpose of these long-lasting relationships is to help you later in your career or business, you should never treat your clients just as businesses. Instead, you can get personal from time to time, and show your clients that you’re not necessarily perceiving them as a “deal”.
Even though this is harder than it sounds, the efforts you put in cultivating a genuine personal relationship with a client – which whom you share a little rapport with – is going to get you far.
Be Optimistic and Confident
We all hate pessimistic people. It’s not personal…it’s just that you really don’t want to spend time with someone who spreads negative energy. If there are business matters on the line, showing a lack of optimism is truly going to disadvantage your relationship building process.
Once you meet a client, you want to show him that you’re truly confident about the value that you offer. Clients will favor an enthusiastic potential partner rather than a silent, reserved, and unconfident client. No matter how you feel, whenever you have meetings or online discussions with your clients, be sure to bring along a positive attitude.
Don’t Be Afraid to Give Value for Free
You get what you give and the other way around. This hidden rule has always governed our business environment, and even though many entrepreneurs and small business owners don’t see it, providing value at no cost is often going to improve the success of an organization.
When you build relationships, the first thing you got to make sure is that you’re giving your best to the discussion. Moreover, when you notice that a client of yours has a problem that you can easily solve, make sure that you help him immediately. In time, people won’t see you just as a trader who craves good deals but rather a professional that is passionate and helpful with your client’s best interests in mind.
Don’t Take Anything Personal and Be Open to New Perspectives
If you never take things personally, you’ll never deal with cheesy talks, remarks, and all sorts of toxic relationships. People that don’t take anything personally are always better communicators. After all, everything that we take personally is just because we allow other individuals to judge and affect us.
If we refuse to take things to heart, we’ll better manage our emotions, and eventually, our professional relationships with our clients. Moreover, whenever dealing with clients – or basically with any person – stay open to new perspectives. Be an open minded entity that listens and filters the information without interrupting or judging.
Takeaways
Creating long-lasting relationships isn’t rocket science. After all, we’re all just people. Our professional status, even though most of the time it matters, should never be a stepping stone towards strong connections.
Learn how to avoid client conflict
You never know who your next best friend and best business partner will be, so treat everyone right and make sure that you’re giving 100% in each of your interactions with your potential clients.
Laura Buckler is contributor for coursework writing service and a former marketer. With her husband they own a successful small business. They dedicate their business success to Pareto’s 80/20 principle, which – in a few words – would mean to work smarter and not just harder.
