Building any relationship requires time. When it comes to establishing the same with a client it demands time and trust. Through my years in the service industry, both in Bangladesh and the US, I have found that my colleagues often don’t realize this. Sales has become such a high-pressure job that many out there have decided to sacrifice transparency, reliability, and relationships for a quick buck. In the high-octane emotional sales environment, we have often over-committed or plainly have said ‘Yes’ to everything the client had demanded. Later as the relationship was trying to grow, our overzealous promises became an impediment and sources of discontent. What many don’t realize is that the experience clients have had in the process has created a bad will. A bad will for the company and the brand we represent, and not necessarily always with just us.
We need to look at sales as relationships. It’s a no brainer actually, but we still somehow miss this point. Selling is not the end of your interaction with your customer; rather it is just the beginning. But building a client relationship requires a strategy. You cannot just bank on emotions, or worse yet, discounts to create this.
Be patient in building new relationships. As I said, relationships take time. Resist indulging in giving false promises, as it can be a severe put-off. Instead, take the time to get to know your client, and share a little bit of yourself. Most importantly, remember that your work for your client is paramount in building an association. At the end of the day, no amount of personal connection can substitute for great work.
Get to know their industry and company. Keep up with your client’s company as well as their industry. You don’t have to be an expert, but this will help you speak the same language as the client, understand what keeps them up at night, and cater your interaction and offerings accordingly.
“Treat every client as your most important one. Happy clients will always give you referrals. Provide all clients with your best service, regardless of whether they are a big company or a small one.” – Dewan Sajid Afzal
Respond promptly. When a client emails you, acknowledge the receipt of the email as quickly as possible, even if you do not have the answer they are looking for. You will give them comfort by simply acknowledging the receipt of their request and by communicating that you’re on it. This may seem like a no-brainer, but often relationship managers worry about having the right answer, and as a result, they forget to acknowledge that they are on the case.
Always go the extra mile. As you grow your business and your client relationships, there will be times that you’ll have to make a decision on when to adjust or expand your core offerings to cater to the needs of a client. The benefits of offering customized solutions are two-fold: 1) clients remember the times you came through for them and 2) it may open up additional revenue streams and new product offerings you had not previously considered.
Treat every client as your most important one. Happy clients will always give you referrals. Provide all clients with your best service, regardless of whether they are a big company or a small one. You never know who your clients may know. Just as importantly, when they switch jobs, either within their company or to a new one, you want to be the partner they recommend to their new team.
Always summarize the next steps. No matter how quick or trivial a client meeting seems, always recap the conversation with next steps. Many in sales skip this basic step. You think you’ll remember all of the details, and maybe you will, but your client may not. Aligning on the same page with next steps prevents a lot of confusion down the road. Don’t forget to send an email afterward with the details of the meeting too!
We sell to solve a problem. If we cannot offer the peace of mind our customers are looking for, then they don’t need us.
