The thing I’ve learned over the years is that there are peeks and valleys during the course of a client relationship. If it’s mostly valleys, then it’s probably time for me to move on. If it’s too many peeks, I’m probably overworking the account. There’s no science here. You just kind of know.
But the most important thing you can do is set the stage for a sustainable client relationship that comes with those peeks and valleys. That will help get you to long-term client status and keep things healthy.
How do you do that?
Set expectations in your contract
I say this time and time again, but you need to put it all in your contract. You need to be as specific as possible about your deliverables, the amount of meetings you will attend, etc. Account for everything you can so you know exactly how many hours you will spend with this client. And even as a person who gives her client unlimited time as a part of retainers, I put in the contract the amount of time I estimate they will get on average per month. It is something else I can point to if a client’s expectations go out of whack.
How does this keep a client relationship sustainable? No matter what you do, there are times that your client will start thinking you should be doing more. You could have all the boundaries in the world. They’re still going to try to get that scope creep. Having everything in your contract keeps the parameters for your relationship in a place that they have signed and that you have mutually agreed to at the beginning. You can continue to point to it in a helpful way to remind them of your agreement.
What do you do if you have given them some level of scope creep? Scope creep can be hard to walk back from, so it’s obviously best to not do it. However, that’s not real life. Sometimes you just need to do a favor to help the client relationship and hope for the best. So if you have done that and don’t want it to be a regular thing, you should have said that before you did the task. But if you haven’t, just be frank that you were glad to do this in the past and that you need to stick to your contract going forward. It will be uncomfortable, but it will be best for your relationship in the long-term if you don’t feel like you’re being used.
Build trust
There is such a give and take when it comes to the client relationship. To make that go more smoothly, you need to start from a place of trust.
Trust is all over the internet right now thanks to AI. But this is something much deeper. You need to show that you care about their business objectives and that you will care for their worries as carefully as you do for the content you are posting.
How does this keep a client relationship sustainable? How do you get through those awkward times where you have to say no to your client? Trust. If they know that you have their best interests at heart when you say no, they are more likely to accept it and not work around you. It will help you create those healthy boundaries and get you to a place where you can do better work together.
How do you build trust within your client relationship? To me, this is a practice you engage in time and time again with your clients. I sometimes joke that I’m also my clients’ therapist because I take the time to listen to them talk about their concerns. And that so often dabbles into things that have nothing to do with our work together. I think taking that time to see them as a person helps me immensely in our work and it gets our work into more interesting places. And in exchange, they are more likely to take the time to listen to me and really take in what I have to say. That is huge.
Communicate
A sustainable client relationship is not possible if you are not talking to each other. Creating a system for communication where everyone’s needs are met will go a long way towards making your relationship healthy. Keeping your client informed of your progress on tasks and what you need from there will also help both of you be comfortable and assured that work is happening.
How does this keep a client relationship sustainable? In most cases, your client has a boss. If you are communicating with your client in an effective way, they can communicate to their boss about what you are doing. And they can help keep you around in the long-term. It can also make sure that you get quick responses to issues that arise on social media. Then you can take care of them before anything gets legs.
How do you create a client communication system? I firmly believe that there is no one system that fits all. If you try to force your system on each of your clients, communication breakdowns are more likely to happen. Ask how your client likes to communicate and even ask about their dislikes. Then compare with your own systems. Figure out what meets everyone’s needs and then rework what does not. And then keep an eye on what happens. Make adjustments as they make sense and hold boundaries when it makes sense. Communication systems should have some fluidity so you can get to what works perfectly for everyone.
Be responsive
In the end, the best thing you can do to create a sustainable client relationship is to be responsive. Adjust when needed. Correct when appropriate. And make sure the relationship is always fruitful for both of you. The rest will flow from there.
How are you creating a sustainable client relationship?