Retaining clients can be the lifeblood of a business, especially in tough economic times. After all it is a lot cheaper to reach out and promote your services to satisfied clients than it is to bring in a whole new crowd.
Fostering good relationships, providing value, producing results beyond expectation, it’s all part of “going the extra mile”.
I take a lot of pride in two very important aspects to my business, creating long lasting value and fostering good relationships. When I work with a client my hope is to have them come away from the job satisfied. Not only with the final product but with the knowledge that will allow them to use it successfully.
What does this do for my business? When these clients come away from the experience feeling like I have provided them a valuable service that goes beyond just getting the job done, they are more than likely to return in the future. They respect my professional opinion and have some trust in what I say. They are comfortable in working with me.
It’s a win win. Your client is happy because they are impressed and comfortable working with you. You have helped them to become more successful and you have saved them from repeating the overwhelming task of finding a new provider. On your end you are happy because you have come away with a happy client, a good relationship and return business.
What does going the extra mile mean? It means putting in extra care to build a relationship beyond just the focus on getting this project out the door.
The key is learning that you need to work with the client, business to business, and not for the client as an employee would. This of course can take some learning on both sides of the relationship, especially if you are working with a business that does in fact have a few or more employees of their own.
Don’t be afraid to do the job you were hired to do. If you are their to build this company an online solution for their business then do that, in it’s entirety. Which means taking the time to do the research, advising them on the best practices and explaining to them why their website needs to focus on their customers.
Equally as important, don’t be afraid to push back when you know it is the right thing to do. It’s not about battling your client it’s about advising them on why something may not be the best solution. Voice your opinion in a professional manner. It’s not always going to produce the intended outcome, but I personally believe that it helps to establish that professional working relationship that you are looking to build.
Help them learn. You don’t have to go into all the minute details of your profession but don’t be afraid to share a little. If something doesn’t make sense explain to them the why. Teach them a little about how their new site operates, help them to understand how it can be used to improve their business and what they need to do after it is all said and done to continue building on it’s success.
Most of all make it your mission to create a professional working relationship. You don’t need to come away from this with a drinking buddy, but you should come away with it having a mutual respect for each other and each others place of business.
If your client feels like they are in good hands, not only will they return but you can be sure they are going to tell their friends.
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