How to build a solid foundation of trust with clients

Our ability to build trust is the key to our success. As a production firm, building trust with vendors, partners and especially with our clients, is our most valuable skill.?

When we set out to work with a new client, trust building is top of mind. I feel it most intensely in the early planning calls. As we set out to plan what will ultimately be a labor intensive and expensive endeavor, the first few meetings are crucial. We need a strong foundation early on so that when compromises are required, when money won’t solve every problem and we have to get creative, when challenges arise, we are able to set a plan and move forward together with our clients knowing we are on solid footing together.?

This is how we work towards building trust:

• Honesty:? This is hard in all new relationships. But it is our greatest asset when it comes to planning. There is always a great temptation to tell your clients only what they want to hear, but doing so may ultimately be a disservice to your client and to the goals they set out to achieve through their event. I trust in our experience and in our judgment as we plan an event side by side with our clients. I’ve never regretted pushing back when a client wanted to send us down a road I knew to be inefficient or unwise.? Generally speaking, most people appreciate this quality and it garners respect.
• Understand the assignment: There are two things I listen for in the early planning stages. The first is - what is the end goal for hosting this event; what must we achieve? – this is often multi-faceted. And the second is uncovering what the taste and tone and expectations are of our clients. What feelings do we want to evoke when guests enter the space we’ve created? This can be difficult for clients to describe in words, so we have to be diligent in asking the right questions and listening carefully for the responses. We constantly work towards uncovering what our clients are picturing in their minds when they think of their event. We work hard to pull that out and create visuals, build renderings, attend site visits, request samples, attend tastings, anything and everything to assist us in planning every aspect of an event.?

• Flexibility: Here’s a secret about events - they all require certainties and a strong framework. But rigidity is the enemy of great execution and the planning framework we build around each event must allow for flexibility. Ideas change over time. Events evolve. What we thought we wanted 6 months ago is not going to work today. “We just booked an ungettable performer for the closing party, we have to make it happen”. My team and I are here for all of that.? Often our clients are concerned when they change their minds or have to adjust things “at the last minute”. That is perfectly fine. We fully expect changes until the last minute, always and forever, and we are happy to adjust. This is the nature of events. This is what it takes to make an event truly special. And we are always ready to pivot to make a better experience for all based on the best idea, no matter when those ideas manifest themselves.

• Transparency and specificity – we are totally transparent with billing and budgeting. We prefer to keep our project fee separate from the rest of the costs once we agree on a scope. We work through all the options and share quotes, our clients are not subject to mark-ups and they never have to be concerned that they are not clear on what they are paying for.?

• Dependability and accountability: We do what we say we are going to do. We take notes on every call, we deliver on every action item, we don’t let the details slip through the cracks.?

By ensuring honesty, understanding the assignment, being flexible, being transparent, and being dependable we aim to build that trust with every one of our clients. In this way we become more than a vendor or a contractor. We become their trusted partners and collaborators on a journey towards the goal of bringing ideas to life!