Customer relationships are one of the most important parts of your business, if not the most important. So, how do you begin building those meaningful, lifelong relationships with customers?

Customer relationship building starts before someone even makes a purchase. Below we have laid out tips to help to successfully build solid relationships with your clients.

1. Be Responsive and Personal

Timely and efficient communication is absolutely imperative as a business owner. Being available to clients is key to letting them know their business and satisfaction are important to you. Make sure you are responding to their phone calls and emails professionally and in a timely manner.

Although you want to be efficient, making the time to connect with clients is a core element of building genuine relationships with them. Make it a point to get to know them, whether that is asking them about their family vacation they just went on or how their new puppy is doing. Of course, your product or service is always the number one focus, but it is important for you to let your clients know that you acknowledge them and see them as a person, more than solely a business asset.

2. Share Knowledge

Chances are your company is filled with a number of amazing services or products. If your client doesn’t understand your area of expertise, they may feel intimidated about the intricacies of your business, and therefore disconnected. This is an opportunity to share information.

Helping your client understand what your business is all about will build trust and confidence in the process. Explaining to the client what you do, why you do it, and how you make decisions will help them feel more comfortable with you as a business partner. You can even add in your own story of why you got started in this industry and how you’ve seen your business grow to give it a personal touch.

3. Be Open to Feedback

Be grateful for the feedback received from clients; both good and not so good. It may be difficult to hear feedback that you may not have been anticipating. Be open to receiving these comments and see if there are any aspects of your business that could be improved.

There may be an issue in your firm you were blind to before a customer brought it up. Thank them for sharing their thoughts with you and work to solve any problems they are experiencing in a kind, thoughtful way. This will go a long way in building trust and credibility with your clients.

4. Set Realistic Expectations

Consider the famous quote, “Under-promise and over-deliver.” This is essential to remember when working with clients. Overestimate deadlines so that when your team finishes a project before the deadline, your client will be nothing short of thrilled. One of the most detrimental things to your relationship with a client is to overcommit and under-deliver.

Building trust in an untrusting world is essential. Once your clients trust you, they become loyal to you. And, loyal customers are your best referrals!

Need help building relationships with your customers? Contact us!