How do you foster long-term relationships and trust with your clients?

In my experience this is the most important of all the items listed. Solutions, by themselves have no value unless they are helping meet your client's needs. The deeper the understanding of the client's business and specific issues the easier it is to transition from being a vendor to being a business partner. When a client calls and asks for advice you know you've made that transition.

I have built a loyal customer base with exceptional service culture. Creating a strong bond with my customers, reminding them of their spouse and children birthdays, business advice and calls on a regular basis. Ensuring business advice is not about meeting targets but about customers benefits. Under promising and over delivering, treating all my customers like the only customer I have has helped to create a loyal customer.

To build a lasting client relationship, prioritize a deep understanding of their unique needs, challenges, and aspirations. This involves active listening, asking insightful questions, and conducting thorough assessments. Demonstrating a genuine interest in comprehending their goals allows for tailored solutions and sets the foundation for a trusting, collaborative partnership.

It is essential to maintain quality communication with clients, to know how to read "between the lines" to understand what their needs are and what they need from your company. Develop a more personalized relationship, in which the client feels that he can count on a partner that will help him achieve his professional goals. Have an active, agile and always honest communication. And of course, all the stakeholders of the company in which you work must be aligned with these objectives, defining very well the communication policies between the different DMU (decision-making units).

As per my experience, the most important thing is if the doctor fails to diagnose the disease how's it possible he will go for treatment? In the same way, in sustainability consulting, you spend most of your time understanding the issues after listening deeply to the client's needs and expectations. You know the pain points, now you need to step further.

I'd add that the language you use when communicating with clients needs to be jargon-free as much as possible if you want to increase trust and make sure your message hits the target. In this sector we generally know the difference between ESG, sustainability, CSR, science-based targets and so on, but for a client these could be a massive barrier to understanding (and trusting) your contribution to their project. If you need to use jargon, make sure you explain and spell out any acronyms at the very least.

Consistently delivering high-quality solutions and tangible value is fundamental to building trust. Whether it's implementing sustainable practices, achieving environmental targets, or enhancing social responsibility, your consulting services should bring measurable benefits to the client's business. Strive to exceed expectations and demonstrate the positive impact of your contributions.

Actively seeking feedback demonstrates a commitment to continuous improvement. Establish feedback mechanisms to understand your clients' perspectives on the effectiveness of your services. Use this information to adapt and refine your approach, ensuring that your strategies align with evolving sustainability goals and industry best practices.

Be real! Cut the BS and present yourself in line with your own integrity, values and nature and you'll attract the right kind of people to work with too!

To build trust, do what you say you will do, when you say you will; to get to that point, definitely don't overreach in your ambitions when quoting and planning and explain if something has not gone to plan why, and what you can do to fix it (or not, if say you get ill unexpectedly or other unforeseen circumstances arise). Be open when something is not in your area of expertise and offer to connect the client with other people who can help, or recruit a suitable extra team member to cover that.