What are the most effective relationship-building strategies for consultants?

1 Understand your client's needs and goals

Before you start any consulting project, you need to understand your client's needs and goals. What are their pain points, challenges, and opportunities? What are their expectations, objectives, and measures of success? How do they prefer to communicate, collaborate, and receive feedback? By asking these questions, you can tailor your approach, deliverables, and value proposition to your client's specific situation. You can also avoid misunderstandings, scope creep, and misalignment of expectations.

2 Show your expertise and credibility

Your client hired you because they believe you have the expertise and credibility to solve their problem or improve their situation. To maintain and enhance that trust, you need to show your expertise and credibility throughout the project. This means demonstrating your knowledge, skills, and experience in your domain, as well as your ability to apply them to your client's context. You can do this by sharing relevant insights, best practices, and case studies, as well as by delivering high-quality work that meets or exceeds your client's standards.

3 Communicate clearly and frequently

Communication is key for any successful consulting relationship. You need to communicate clearly and frequently with your client, as well as with other stakeholders involved in the project. This means keeping them informed of your progress, challenges, and results, as well as soliciting their feedback, input, and approval. You also need to adapt your communication style and channel to suit your client's preferences and needs. For example, some clients may prefer regular email updates, while others may prefer weekly phone calls or video meetings.

4 Build rapport and empathy

Building rapport and empathy with your client is not only a nice thing to do, but also a smart way to enhance your relationship and performance. By rapport, we mean creating a positive and friendly connection with your client, based on mutual respect, understanding, and appreciation. By empathy, we mean putting yourself in your client's shoes and showing genuine interest and concern for their situation, challenges, and emotions. You can build rapport and empathy by using active listening, mirroring, humor, and compliments, as well as by sharing personal stories and experiences.

5 Deliver value and results

Ultimately, your client wants to see value and results from your consulting project. They want to know that you have solved their problem or improved their situation, and that you have done so in a timely, efficient, and professional manner. To deliver value and results, you need to focus on the outcomes and benefits that matter to your client, not just the outputs and deliverables. You also need to track and measure your impact, and report it clearly and convincingly to your client. Finally, you need to ensure that your client is satisfied with your work and that you have met or exceeded their expectations.

6 Seek feedback and referrals

The last relationship-building strategy for consultants is to seek feedback and referrals from your client. Feedback is essential for your learning and improvement, as well as for your reputation and credibility. You should ask your client for feedback throughout the project, as well as at the end, and use it to refine your approach, work, and communication. Referrals are vital for your growth and sustainability, as well as for your network and influence. You should ask your client for referrals at the end of the project, and thank them for any leads or introductions they provide.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?