Do you like to treat your clients as your buddies, or do you prefer to maintain a professional distance from them? However you prefer to handle it, there are a lot of similarities in the relationships that are worth keeping in mind.
Everybody likes to hang out with the fun kids
And if you’re fun to work with, people will want to work with you. It doesn’t mean you have to be the class clown, or the company who closes at lunch every Friday and heads to the pub. It just means that you should find enjoyment in the things you do. Then, when a client asks something of you, it’s a fun thing to do.
Everybody likes the people they can rely on
You know yourself, that you love the companies you know you can count on for help. Whether it’s a consultant you can ring for advice to the customer service department that makes it easy to deal with a company. If you know that someone will be there with what you need, or will do their best to help out, you’ll keep going back and be prepared to pay a premium for the peace of mind.
Nobody loves the drama queen…
Unless she’s got something else going for her. But if every client interaction is difficult, if every request is met with eye rolls and sighs it’s discouraging for clients. If a client has a minor problem which you blow out of proportion – it’s unprofessional. When a client comes to you with a problem, a calm, professional and prompt response is always going to win. And if you can manage to go a little out of your way to help, well you’ll probably end up with a long term fan and advocate.
People like people who like them
So if you’re working with clients who you like, it’s a lot easier to have an enjoyable relationship. It makes the communication between you easier and it makes you both more likely to want to pass recommendations, clients and information to the other.
Negotiation becomes a conversation
Negotiation with friends becomes less about something you want to win and more about something you want to solve. When you have a great relationship with your clients it makes the negotiation process easier because neither of you is focussing as much on getting the best result for themselves, but instead focussing on finding the most equitable solution. At the end of the day, you’re both far more likely to go home happy when you discuss rather than compete.
