1. Establish a procedure for onboarding

This is also one of our methods for keeping customers. More points of contact for both parties will be added to the roster once you begin going. A smooth onboarding procedure will provide the conditions for the transparent communication and flawless execution required to build a solid and enduring customer relationship. While doing this, you might wish to:

Read More: gareth birdsall

Send a welcome package to them: Based on the more specific information you’ve gathered, send along some gifts, such as branded merchandise, a note, and other delights.

Maintain housekeeping by ensuring that everyone has the necessary access to the tools, accounts, and dashboards.

Organize a launch meeting to make sure everything is prepared for flawless implementation. By now, you’ve also gotten to know each other rather well. The moment is right for a more relaxed setting.

2. Consider customers as partners

Your connection will become solely transactional if you treat your customer like a company, meaning there won’t be any relationship at all. There is too much opportunity for misunderstandings and unfulfilled expectations when you treat them like family.

On the other hand, treating your clients as partners creates the conditions for a balanced combination of transactional, purposeful, and personal interactions in which your identities are maintained and you both provide the necessary components for success.

Accept reality: Keep in mind that you are both businesses that ultimately want to turn a profit. That doesn’t need to be avoided. You need their ongoing business to make money, and they need your service to make money.

Preserve structure while allowing for some flexibility: Provide clear deliverables and, to the best of your ability, adhere to the planned course of action, but always welcome suggestions and criticism.

Allow them access: Provide dashboards and data to them whenever you can, even though certain of your tools and procedures may be secret. Share with them (non-confidential) information about your organization that “outsiders” would not be aware of. Gaining their trust is equally as crucial as gaining yours.

Be truthful: This entails refusing to comply with your client’s demands or wishes that might not be optimal for long-term success (wants vs. needs). A successful partnership is not one in which both sides always agree; rather, it is one in which they bring diverse viewpoints to the table and produce greater results than each could have produced alone.

3. Take the initiative instead of reacting

This is a top concern for clients, according to AKvertise President Akvile DeFazio.

Her group takes proactive measures to:

Exchange concepts and suggest fresh approaches to campaigns.

Alert users of impending platform changes and any necessary action.

To further empower the client, educate them.

“This demonstrates concern and fosters trust, and our clients express their gratitude for our conscientious initiative,” she says. “We truly immerse ourselves as a seamless extension of our customers’ teams when we work with them. We all benefit when they succeed, and the secret to everyone’s success is proactive communication.

4. Show empathy instead of defensiveness

This suggestion from Search Labs Digital’s Director of PPC, Mark Irvine, relates to tip #5’s collaboration approach. In this case, your agency is performing admirably. Performance indicators keep rising. However, the customer is not happy. They’re not getting any new business.

According to Mark, “digging your heels in is a wrong response here.” “It is at best tone-deaf to tell them that their business is doing well. Rather, listen to them and let them work things out. They could even learn from this that their other marketing or sales teams are the source of the issue.

Irvine advises removing oneself from the issue if this turns out to be the case in order to keep it from turning into a “us versus them” scenario. Use the strategy of working as a team to find a solution. Use words such as:

“I understand what you’re discussing.”

“This is a legitimate worry.”

“That is really annoying, and we appreciate you bringing this to our attention.”

“Let’s arrange to review this and provide some solutions to address it.”

Present yourself as a collaborator on their initiatives. Respect their opinions. Allowing people to collaborate with you, even if you are an expert, will contribute to the development of a lasting, trustworthy connection.

“And keep in mind that if you ignore or argue with their worries, there’s an agency sales representative somewhere else who will be content to hear them complain about you all day,” Mark continues.

5. Create a framework for communication

The creator of Empiric Marketing, LLC, Brett McHale, offers some excellent advice on limits and communication:

Avoid being “always available.”

Being accessible at all times, whether via Slack or other direct contact methods, obscures the crucial work-life balance. Additionally, it may divert your attention from other customers.

Organize frequent meetings with practical conclusions.

Establish meetings every week or every two weeks to check in, discuss performance, and address any concerns. According to Brett, “I always have some takeaway or action item from those meetings.” “This holds me accountable, and it helps me gain the client’s trust when I fulfill my commitments.”

Utilize instant chat and email.

According to Brett, “I try not to be too professional or polished all the time because email can be very robotic.” Using a messenger to speak with clients directly fosters rapport and a more relaxed “human-to-human” contact.

He advises using email for non-urgent issues and instant messaging for critical ones. In addition to eliminating the back-and-forth email exchange, this gives your clients peace of mind that even if you might not always be reachable, you would never abandon them.