If you want to retain your clients and have them recommend you to others, you need to be able to build trust with them. Trust is the glue that binds your professional relationship with clients and ultimately leads to them choosing your company over any other.
But trust can be a tricky thing to build with customers, who tend to be wary of corporate motivations. You have to be able to prove to your client that they’re not just a number to you and that you’re truly on their side. How can you accomplish this? Here are a few methods that can help to establish a trusted rapport with your clients:
Set Clear Expectations
Let your client know upfront what to expect from your working relationship. Let them know what you can do and can’t do. Be clear, and ask questions to ensure that they understand everything about what to expect. This will help to get your relationship off on the right foot. If your client misunderstands what to expect from you, they might lose trust when you fail to meet their expectations. If you begin on the same page, you’ll have a much easier time meeting their expectations and gaining their trust.
Be Consistent
The first and most basic way to build trust with clients is to actually do the things you promise to do. When you say that you will get work to clients by a certain time, get them in by that time — or sooner, if possible. Keep the quality of your work consistently strong. Be consistent in your communication, both in terms of availability and helpfulness. If you remain consistent in the quality that you offer your clients, they will know that they can count on you, which will make it easier to continue working with you.
Respect Your Client
You have pressures on your time, a personal life that sometimes impacts your work, and your own methods of work. So does your client. Be respectful of their time and their own stressors when scheduling meetings and turning in assignments. Treat them with respect and honesty in all of your communications. Be genuine, rather than relying on your business-as-usual script. Let them know that you appreciate working with them. Not only will this help to build trust, but if you treat your clients with respect, they’re more likely to treat you with respect.
Be Transparent
No one likes to get the runaround, and clients have left business partners for less. Don’t try to cover up certain parts of your process or your methods. Be transparent. Let clients know exactly what they’re getting into so they can make an informed decision on whether or not to work with you. You may worry that this will make you lose the client, but think of it this way: it’s likely you would have lost that client down the line, anyway. On the other hand, by being transparent, your client will feel like they are able to trust you to continue to be transparent with them.
Admit To Your Mistakes and Correct Them
No one likes to make mistakes in their work. When you’re working for a client, those mistakes may come with an anxiety that the client will decide to stop working with you. But you’re more likely to lose your client by trying to cover up a mistake only to get caught later. Most likely, your client understands that everyone makes mistakes; and few mistakes are beyond what you can fix. Simply admit to your mistake and then let your client know the steps you’re taking to fix it. They might just appreciate your honesty and respect you more for working so quickly to resolve the issue.
Build Strong Communication
Communication is key in any relationship, including professional relationships. You have to have strong communication with your client in order for them to trust you. This means having reliable channels through which they can contact you and you can contact them, fully addressing their questions and concerns, and asking questions of your own in return.
Strong communication might look different depending on the parties involved. Some business partnerships prefer to stick to emails or slack. Others might have weekly or monthly video calls or in-person meetings to discuss progress. Regardless of the format, make sure you listen as much as or more than you talk, and that you prioritize clear, concise language. Communication should be a two-way street, not just you updating your client periodically and then disappearing.
