When you start your own business, you get to be your own boss, which is great, but you have to focus on client relations. Clients are the people paying you for your products or services, so ultimately, you need to impress them to get them on board and keep them loyal to your business. Of course, your competition is also doing the same thing, so you need to be able to stand out from the crowd. Here are a few tips to impressing clients.
Plan corporate events
Building camaraderie with clients is essential. You don’t want to get over familiar, but business relationships don’t have to be all about business! Corporate events are an excellent way to spend time with clients outside of 9-5 hours and mean you can build customer loyalty. Check out restaurants such as https://catalinarosebay.com.au/ who offer corporate functions, as they’ll take care of all the planning and entertaining, so you simply relax and have fun.
Meet people face-to-face
Zoom has become the standard for client meetings nowadays, but it’s actually better to do things face-to-face when you can. There are many reasons why this can be better for client relationships:
- Things can still get lost in translation over Zoom
- Face-to-face meetings can build relationships much better
- You can do team building exercises
- Things feel less rushed and you can ensure people are focused on what you’re saying
Face-to-face meetings will soon be possible again, so it’s worth thinking about whether you should start doing these with clients. They can create so many more opportunities and ensure you are giving the best possible service. Consider creating a regular meet-up to discuss whether you’re keeping clients happy and any potential future projects.
Invest in promotional items
Business cards are nice, but if you’re at an event where you get a whole load of them, it’s easy to forget the people who handed them out. If you’re planning to network or go to a conference, it’s worth investing in promotional business items, which make a bigger impact. Try to opt for things that people will use. For example, bags and backpacks are useful for carrying their goodies, and things like pens and office supplies are great for day-to-day use. If you can find things that are relevant to your industry, this is even better!
Don’t make promises you can’t keep
There’s a saying that you should under-promise and over-deliver, and this is an excellent way to ensure clients are kept happy. Nobody wants to hear a load of promises that are never delivered, so make sure you aren’t taking on more than you can manage. If you can’t meet expectations, be clear and communicate, rather than upsetting your clients because things don’t arrive on time.
Actively seek new opportunities
You can do a lot of advertising and marketing, which can bring customers to you, but this is limited in what it can achieve. The only way to really bring in new business is to actively find tenders and contracts and go for them. Many new business owners can be shy about this at first, but you need to be able to seek out opportunities. If you’re unsure about how to bid for projects, it’s worth either learning some bid writing skills or hiring a professional bid writer who’ll be able to do this for you. This will give you the best possible chance of making a good impression.
Keep things professional
If you want to prove that you’re a professional company, make sure you act like one at all times. From your workspace, even if you work from home, to your communications, you need to be as professional as possible. You don’t have to be too formal, but you should make sure you get your point across at all times, without being ambiguous.
Your business lives and dies by its clients, which is why it’s so important to make the right impression when you deal with them. This isn’t just when you’re trying to sign them up, but also when you get them on-board. You should make sure you have a strategy for dealing with clients that keeps you and them happy and ensures a harmonious working relationship at all times.
Image Credits: Chris Liverani
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