Beyond the Sale – Building Lasting Client Relationships

Building lasting client relationships is crucial for success in the sales industry. In this newsletter, I explore some key strategies to help you foster strong, enduring connections with your clients.

Let’s start with the basics – looking at the first step

One of the essential first steps in building lasting client relationships is truly understanding your client. I am not referring here to factors such as simply knowing who the client is and what industry they operate in. I am instead referring to truly understanding them, i.e. a thorough, holistic understanding. This includes knowing the basics and knowing the intricacies.

By intricacies I mean firstly, the client’s needs – those that are apparent and those that the client himself/herself has not considered yet. Secondly, it involves knowing the client’s current/existing hurdles and those that could arise going forward.

Having this comprehensive understanding of your client will ensure that you can take the right approach and pre-empt objections.

The importance of proper communication

Proper communication is multi-faceted. Communication is not hard to achieve, but proper communication is what you need in order to build long-lasting relationships with your clients.

I’m reminded what exactly proper communication entails by using the word ‘proper’ as a mnemonic:

P – punctual

R – reliable

O – open

P – precise

E – effective

R – rigorous

Although self-explanatory, I will briefly explain what I mean by these concepts in relation to communication.

Punctual communication means that you need to make sure that your timing is right and that you deliver on promised communication. This ties in somewhat to the second idea of reliability. A client must be able to rely on communication that you said you will deliver. Reliability also, however, refers to the fact that your communication must be trustworthy and 100% correct.

Open communication refers to transparency. This also ties in with reliability. It is important that a client should not wonder about hidden, unstated aspects when engaging with your communication.

Precise communication means that you do not use ambiguous content and superfluous information. Make sure your communication is exact and to the point.

Communication must be effective otherwise there is really no point to it. Ask yourself whether the communication is putting across what you want to put across and whether it leads to the desired result. If it does these things, it is effective.

The last word – ‘rigorous’ – is another aspect of proper communication, and one that should not be neglected. It refers to thoroughness and carefulness. Make sure your communication is thorough so that the client does not have multiple questions stemming from it. Additionally, make sure that you communicate in a careful manner. That means that you must steer clear of hearsay, assumptions, bias, and prejudice.

Further tips on building lasting client relationships

The above mentioned are really the main considerations in relation to building and fostering lasting client relationships. However, there are a few last points I would like to touch on – a few additional tips you may want to keep in mind when thinking about building and maintaining lasting relationships with your clients.

Personalisation

Personalisation can go a long way in building solid relationships with clients. It takes a bit of extra effort on your part, but it could set you apart from your competitors. Your clients are not only businesspeople, but they are also just people and most people like others taking an interest in their lives. Use your client’s name when communicating to show that it is not generic communication. Also, make a note of a special occasion or a special event related to their business.

Be careful, though, not to over-personalise. Your relationship with the client should be professional and businesslike. So, avoid crossing the boundary and becoming too familiar with the client.

Consistency

Make sure you are consistent when dealing with clients. Consistency in your offerings, approach, and communication is key to building trust and reliability. Additionally, be consistent in your feedback, providing regular updates and constructive insights.

Clients come to expect a certain level of service, and it can be detrimental to your relationship with them if you slack in the quality of service down the line. Therefore, it is crucial to maintain the same level of professionalism and quality of service that was established at the beginning of the relationship, if not continuously improving upon it. By doing so, you demonstrate your commitment to their success and reinforce the value you bring to the partnership.

Wrapping up

By implementing these strategies, you can build strong, lasting relationships with your clients that will not only lead to repeat business but also generate referrals and enhance your reputation in the industry.

Keep Selling and Succeeding,

Anthony Tattan

CEO Outsource Sales Director

Planning | Implementation | Results