As an account manager, you are responsible for building trust and loyalty with your clients. One of the most important ways to do that is to keep your promises and deliver on your commitments. But how do you make sure you don't overpromise, underdeliver, or break your word? Here are some tips to help you keep promises to clients and maintain your reputation as a reliable and ethical account manager.
Before you make any promise to a client, you need to assess whether you can actually fulfill it. Don't agree to something just to please the client or win the deal, without considering the feasibility, resources, timeline, and risks involved. Be honest and transparent about what you can and can't do, and what the potential challenges and trade-offs are. If you are not sure, don't promise anything until you have verified the facts and consulted with your team or manager. Setting realistic expectations from the start will help you avoid disappointment, frustration, and conflict later on.
Being honest with clients is always the best policy. There are always going to be times when your honesty doesn't align with what your company may want you to say, but lying about what you can offer never ends well. I value my integrity and the integrity of others more than any company. Let's be honest you could be laid off or fired tomorrow, so why compromise yourself in the process? As they say, honesty is always the best policy.
I agree, in my personal experience one method to manage customer expectations and build trust is if you could pass on difficult news or set realistic expectations along with a counter proposal or an alternate solution that could be less damaging to the client in the given scenario. This shows that you are dependable, transparent and it builds trust. All very key traits in a successful account manager.
Building trust with clients should be the priority. We achieve this by setting clear expectations through open communication and realistic timelines. We understand each client's specific needs and work collaboratively to ensure achievable goals. Our focus is on follow-through and delivering results on time, every time. However, if unforeseen challenges arise, we maintain transparency and work together with clients to find solutions.
Overpromising clients is something that can cost a company money and hurt the client because they trusted you. It’s so important to understand what your company can do and what they can’t. If a customer asks for something and you say “yes” because you think it might land a contract, that’s a massive mistake. Talk to the customer and do a needs analysis to truly understand what their needs are and which you can fulfill. I remember a LTL strike which crippled many of us. One company (an LTL not on strike) promised to take on all the business that was needed. They just didn’t have the capacity which left our product stranded for about a week which in turn, ran our customer out of ink which hit us pretty hard for their downtime.
Setting realistic expectations is key to keeping promises to clients. Overcommitting and promising things that are not realistic will only set you up for failure. It is always better to go back to the client with something that is even better than they expected than to underdeliver on something they expected to be more grand.
Once you have made a promise to a client, you need to communicate clearly and frequently about the progress and status of the deliverable. Don't leave your client in the dark or assume they know what's going on. Update them regularly on the milestones, achievements, issues, and changes that affect the project or the promise. Use the communication channels and formats that your client prefers, and make sure you are consistent and concise. Communicating clearly and frequently will help you build rapport, trust, and confidence with your client, and also prevent misunderstandings, gaps, and surprises.
I like to follow the Sundown rule. What do I mean by this? I always follow up with a client or prospect that I've spoken with on the same day. Even if that's a short email to summarise the actions or next steps or inform them of what they can expect from us and by when. That way you position yourself as professional and pragmatic and ensure that person feels like you are a priority.
I can not mention this often enough: regular communication with clients often helped to diffuse critical situations. In particular, if sh** hits the fan customers want to be informed and want you at their side. By the way this also goes for sales managers if an important project moes out of the sales funnel. Communication always helps to build raport and to find a solution.
Ask. Are we meeting the expectations that have been set? Are there any areas of further clarification that we can provide. Take a quick minute to check in - Never be afraid to ask - how can we improve - what can we do better ? Inspect what you mutually expect.
That’s called a true partnership. Clients rely on you to keep them informed during the process. My clients often praised me for letting them know if an item would be early (many had limited space) and also when an item would be late. They truly appreciated the alternatives we gave when we couldn’t make a deadline. This is how you build trust and long-term, profitable relationships. Communication is key and should definitely be a two-way street with communication flowing back forth.
By addressing concerns, providing updates, and maintaining an open line of communication, you can prevent misunderstandings, build trust, and ensure that potential issues are addressed before they escalate into larger problems. A stitch in time saves nine cannot be emphasised more in situations concerning your clients.
Sometimes, things don't go as planned or the client's needs or expectations change. When that happens, you need to manage the scope and expectations of the promise accordingly. Don't be afraid to say no or push back if the client asks for something that is out of scope, unrealistic, or unreasonable. Explain the rationale and the implications of the request, and offer alternative solutions or compromises if possible. If you need to change or modify the promise due to unforeseen circumstances, inform the client as soon as possible and negotiate a new agreement that is acceptable to both parties. Managing scope and expectations will help you avoid scope creep, delays, and conflicts, and also protect your credibility and integrity.
Ethics are the Key to long term relations, more than your experience its the work ethics that makes the difference, helps one stand out and also builds an lasting impression.
There is a mis-match most of the times in the Service Delivery and client expectations. While the account manager, over promise (as a natural trait) to close the deal, it is also the client who often offer larger volumes / quantity of the product / service they need, to get better commercials. Then expectations are set, but faltered at both ends. It is imperative that the scope and expectations should be clarified, documented and honored from both sides. It has to be partnership relation, and not a buyer - supplier equation.
Deep product knowledge in tech is vital. It fosters rapport with engineering teams, aiding in realistic external expectation setting. Tips to avoid over-promising: 1) Master product specifics 2) Maintain open communication with internal teams (street creds with internal teams is super important) 3) Set realistic goals based on current resources 4) Develop a risk mitigation strategy (incase there is risk of missing deadline).
Absolutely, meeting customer expectations is crucial. While falling short can be problematic, exceeding expectations with additional costs can also lead to higher customer expectations, which may not align with your business objectives. It's essential to strike a balance – deliver what's needed to meet expectations, and if you choose to exceed them, ensure it's done in a way that aligns with your business strategy and doesn't create unsustainable costs. Ultimately, customer satisfaction should be a priority, but it should be balanced with sound business decision-making.
Delivering on schedule is the goal, this is why you should set the expectations keeping in mind the worst case scenario, you should plan for delays, break downs, service shut downs etc, NEVER try to palm these delays off onto your customers. You should aim at 99,9998% on-time delivery
The ultimate way to keep your promise to a client is to deliver quality and value. Don't compromise on the standards, specifications, or requirements of the deliverable, and don't cut corners or take shortcuts. Make sure you follow the best practices, processes, and protocols of your industry and organization, and use the appropriate tools, methods, and resources. Check and test the deliverable for accuracy, completeness, and functionality before presenting it to the client. Deliver quality and value will help you satisfy your client, demonstrate your professionalism and expertise, and create repeat business and referrals.
Following through on the expectations set with your client will help garner trust between your working relationship. Especially when working in an agency where your clients have other agencies to chose from. When your client affiliates you and your work with quality and value, they will continue to choose you to run their future programs.
It's best to come in with expert knowledge on the product or service you are offering. Setting the right expectations early and then continuing to educate and help as you move forward is key to building trust between you and your clients.
Never, never, never knowingly send a customer material that is off spec. First, sending off-spec material can cost your company a massive amount of money. Secondly, sending in off-spec material can possibly put someone in danger. Your customer will be very appreciative of you informing them of the situation and a fix, if possible. Customers will very much appreciate your professionalism and honesty leading to increased business.
I'd say this part is on the product team which as an AE, you may influence but you don't control the outcome here. The value part is usually the Customer Success role so it is important to have a good relationship with the CSM. This is where it is important to knock down silos and keep lines of communication open.
I disagree, when you set the expectation of the customer you need to deliver what they customer expects. Quality and value are what determines what the customer is expecting. You can deliver a low value product and if this is what the customer expected they will be happy, the same is true for a high value product. Quality is not about delivering more, quality is about delivering exactly what the customer expects, that is true quality.
No one is perfect, and sometimes you may fail to keep your promise to a client due to human error, technical glitch, or external factor. When that happens, you need to learn from feedback and mistakes. Don't ignore, deny, or blame others for the failure, but take responsibility and accountability for your actions and outcomes. Apologize sincerely and genuinely to the client, and explain what went wrong and how you will fix it. Ask for feedback and suggestions from the client, and use them to improve your performance and processes. Learn from feedback and mistakes will help you recover from the failure, restore your relationship with the client, and prevent the same issue from happening again.
Absolutely, learning from feedback and mistakes is a crucial aspect of personal and professional growth. By actively seeking feedback, whether it's from clients, colleagues, or mentors, and by being open to recognizing and rectifying mistakes, you can continuously improve your skills, decision-making processes, and overall performance. This approach fosters a culture of learning, adaptability, and refinement, which can lead to greater success and mastery in various areas of life.
Identify what motivates your client and make it your top priority! Recognizing what motivates your clients as they work toward their goals is essential for enhancing customer satisfaction. When you understand the significance they attach to achieving these objectives, you can more effectively cater to their requirements and maintain their loyalty. Asking the appropriate questions encourages individuals to express their thoughts and feelings with you.
One thing I never did was blame my production facility for any issues. It was always a “we” statement. It doesn’t do anyone any good to blame a mistake on someone else. Always explain as much as needed along with the course of action that will be put into place to ensure this doesn’t happen again. Depending on your relationship with the customer, there is absolutely nothing wrong with asking open-ended questions such as “is everything running to your satisfaction?” “Is there anything else I can do better to ensure you get good quality services out of me?” Grow together with your customer.
Couldn't agree more @Preeti - proactively seeking feedback not only offers your company an opportunity to understand areas of improvement and gain insights into potential future innovations to add to the product roadmap, you also create an opportunity to include clients in the journey of enhancing your company's services to meet their needs. Fostering that level of collaboration helps everyone
Indeed, it's crucial to actively gather feedback to fine-tune your ongoing actions. It's important to recognize that you can't please everyone; there will always be complainers and critics. However, by seeking and listening to constructive feedback, you can make informed adjustments that benefit your overall objectives and continually improve your processes or products.
All of the above are great pieces of advice to ensure consistently delivering against your promises and meeting your clients expectations. I would add that being organised is also an important skill. Account Managers often balance multiple internal and external priorities and your plans can easily be disrupted by an urgent issue or curve ball from a client. . My calendar is full of reminders of deadlines and follow-ups. If I send an email to a colleague that I need a response on, I set a reminder for a few days in case I don't get a reply. Of course, there is the obligatory 'to do' list that I update through the week and rewrite in its entirety every Monday (there are lots of online tools that can be used to keep track of work as well).
Well said @Ian - this is where in my experience a solid CRM configured to help sellers and any member of the GTM team execute on promises made to clients and ensure an excellent experience.
First step is give the customer all the information necessary for them to understand the attributes of the product and the delivery time. Second step is to make the product according to the brief, not better and not worse. Third step is to deliver on time, not before and not after the agreed delivery time. Remember that delivering exactly what the customer expected at the time that the customer expected will give your company the best word of mouth review and will make your company stand out from the rest.
Above all, maintaining promises hinges on integrity and genuine commitment. By being sincere and honest in our commitments, we establish trust with others. It's about promising what we genuinely can deliver and being transparent when something isn't feasible. Through this authenticity, we not only build trust but also foster clear communication, ensuring that our promises are grounded in reality