Clients Importance

https://www.mbopartners.
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6 Tips for Building and

Maintaining Client
Relationships
It’s common for independent professionals to focus their resources on gaining new
business. However, new projects don’t always mean new clients. Building and
maintaining strong relationships with existing clients can set you up for repeat business.
And even if clients don’t return to you, they may recommend you to colleagues.
How to build strong relationships with clients

To build lasting relationships with your clients, follow these six tips.
1. Focus on Exceptional Communication

Timely, efficient communication should be a priority. Of course, communication with a
single client should not consistently and unreasonably encroach on your personal time
or negatively affect your productivity. However, being available demonstrates that your
client’s project and satisfaction are important to you.
In addition to timely and thorough communication, you can also build a strong
relationship by making your clients feel comfortable being open and honest with you.
They should feel that their ideas and concerns will be taken seriously.
2. Maintain a Positive Attitude

As an independent professional, you carry a number of responsibilities. As stressed out
or overwhelmed as you may feel, it’s important to show a positive face to your clients.
Exude the energy and confidence that you want your clients to feel about your work.
Enthusiasm and zeal are attractive personality traits that people enjoy being around and
that clients enjoy working with.
3. Acknowledge Your Client as an Individual
While your relationship with your client is of a professional nature, acknowledging that
you see them as a person—that is, more than just a paycheck—can go a long way. The
extent to which this personal connection is appropriate will vary depending on your
industry, client type, and the individual client’s personality. If you know your client is a
parent, you may simply ask how their children are doing. If you have a closer
relationship with your client, something more personal such as emailing them a news
article about their favorite musician might be appropriate and appreciated.
4. Share Knowledge
If your client doesn’t understand your area of expertise, they may feel ignorant about the
intricacies of the process and therefore disconnected from the development of the
project. This is your opportunity to share information that will help the client understand
what you do, which will build trust and confidence in the process. Explaining to your
client what you did, why you did it, and how you came to your decision will help them
feel knowledgeable and in-the-loop.
5. Be Open about Your Opinions

In order to build a strong and lasting relationship with clients, they must be able to trust
and rely on you as an expert. That’s why it’s crucial to maintain a policy of openness
when it comes to your professional opinions and point of view regarding the best
interests of the project. It can be tempting to want to appear agreeable and avoid
uncomfortable confrontation by telling a client what you think they want to hear or
withholding your true opinion about their project.
However, these practices are not only counterproductive, but can also damage your
reputation, decreasing your chances of a lasting relationship. By confidently expressing
your honest opinions, clients will respect your initiative and desire for excellence.
6. Exceed Expectations
One of the best ways to help build a strong relationship with a client is to develop a
reputation as an independent professional who delivers exceptional results. Make sure
that you don’t oversell yourself and promise unrealistic results. By setting reasonable
expectations, you give yourself the opportunity to completely impress the client with the
final project and position yourself as someone they would like to continue to work with.
Consider your client and determine what would be valuable to them. It could be as
simple as delivering the project in an aesthetically pleasing format, hand-delivering the
materials and giving an in-depth walkthrough or demonstration, or including a small
value-adding feature that enhances the finished results. For loyal clients, a token of
appreciation and thanks after key business milestones or around the holidays can be an
unexpected pleasure that strengths your professional relationship. The key is to find the
opportunity to go above and beyond in a manner that your clients will appreciate.
7 Tips for Writing a

Client Report
Professional writing skills are a valuable tool in any self-employed professional’s
arsenal. Effective written communication – particularly when it comes to client reports –
proves essential to managing relationships and keeping projects on track.
What is a client report?

Reports can help you and your client to measure progress, identify any barriers or
issues, and ensure that you are working toward the same goals.
Your written client report could be an informal checklist of items accomplished and
upcoming tasks or milestones, or it could be a more formal document that includes
detailed information.
Here are a few reasons why writing a great client report is important:
 At the beginning of a client engagement, it summarizes project background, goals,

metrics, and milestones.
 It communicates progress on a project, on a weekly, monthly, or quarterly basis;
 At the conclusion of a project, it summarizes the project, tasks completed, final metrics,
outstanding issues, and recommendations;
 It summarizes research, survey, or study information.
Whether your report is a word document, spreadsheet or presentation, the following 7

tips will help you to produce well-written client reports.
7 Tips for Writing a Client Report

1. Agree on Timing and Content
Establish report timing and content at the start of your client engagement. Every
engagement will be different. For long-term projects, your client may prefer a monthly
phone call, weekly email summaries, and a quarterly report. Some clients may want a
short weekly report and a more comprehensive monthly report. Establish up front the
frequency, method, and detail of communications.
2. Write a Strong Summary
Even with up front agreement, some clients, particularly senior level managers, may not
have time to read the entire report. Use an “executive summary” format that can easily
stand alone to communicate the significant parts of the report, including hard facts and
figures.
3. Maximize Readability
Make your report easy to read by including carefully selected headings and bullet
points. This enables your client to find information quickly. If relevant, include visual
information such as graphs or pie charts to reinforce your main message and break up
text.
4. Write Clearly
Your report should only be as long as it needs to be. Do not add unnecessary length to
a report just to make it appear more important. Use clear language and avoid the use of
clichéd business language. Keep your report focused on the information that the client
wants and needs.
5. Be Accurate
The ability to write a well-written report is not only a critical business tool, it reinforces
your brand by demonstrating your expertise and knowledge. Take time to make sure
that your information is accurate. Do not rely on spell check alone to catch typographical
errors. You may even want to print and read your document —it is often easier to edit
“on paper” than it is to edit “on screen.”
6. Reflect Your Personal Brand

Your report should align with your client’s culture but also reflect the personality of your
brand. Report writing does not have to be devoid of personality to be professional. Your
brand should have a consistent voice and tone that matches both your personal brand
and the unique needs of your client.
7. Write for Your Audience

Write your report for your audience. What information do they want to read? What
questions will they want answered? Consider the best way to deliver the information.
Instead of a traditional report, you may opt to use PowerPoint presentation, an
interactive format like a Google Doc, or one of the many virtual collaboration tools
currently on the market. Or, if your report contains a lot of data, it may be better to use
Excel rather than Word. Use the method and medium that will work best for your
intended audience.
Download our Sample Client Report
We have created a sample client report to help you. To download our sample, let us
know where to send it.
9 Tips for Providing Excellent Customer

Service
Excellent customer service creates loyal customers for life who are willing to refer
your business to friends, family, and colleagues. Providing this type of excellent
customer service starts with a genuine desire to delight your customers, but you
also have to think beyond selling your products or services. You need to consider
the cumulative experience your customers have when they visit your store or
website, what they think and feel, and what you can do to make it better.
Learn more about your customers to create a pattern of excellent service in your
small business.
Know Your Product or Service
To provide good customer service, you need to know what you're selling, inside
and out. Make sure you and your customer-facing staff know how your products
or services work. Be aware of the most common questions customers ask and
know how to articulate the answers that will leave them satisfied.
Be Friendly
Customer service starts with a smile. When you are in a face-to-face situation, a

warm greeting should be the first thing your customers see and hear when they
ask for help. Even when handling customer service requests via telephone, a
smile can come through in your voice, so make sure you're ready to be friendly.
Say Thank You
Gratitude is memorable, and it can remind your customers why they shopped at
your store or hired your company. Regardless of the type of business you
have, saying thank you after every transaction is one of the easiest ways to start
a habit of good customer service.
Train Your Staff
It's important to make sure all of your employees, not just your customer service
representatives, understand the way they should talk to, interact with, and
otherwise assist customers. Provide employee training that gives your staff the
tools they need to carry good service through the entire customer experience.
Show Respect
Customer service often can involve emotions, so it's important to make sure you
and others you have handling your customer service tasks are always courteous
and respectful. Never let your own emotions overtake your desire to see your
customer walk away happy.
Listen
Listening is one of the simplest secrets of customer service. It means hearing

what your customers are saying out loud, as well as what they are
communicating non-verbally. Watch for signs that they are displeased, while
listening to what they say to you directly.
Be Responsive
There may be nothing worse than nonresponsiveness to a customer who is trying

to get help, resolve an issue, or find out more about what you're selling. It's
important to respond quickly to all inquiries, even if it is only to say you are
looking into the issue and will be back in touch. Some response is always better
than none so the customer doesn't feel ignored.
Ask for Feedback
You may be surprised what you learn about your customers and their needs
when you ask them what they think of your business, products, and services.
You can use customer surveys, feedback forms, and questionnaires, but you
also can make it a common practice to ask customers first-hand for feedback
when they are completing their orders.
Use Feedback You Receive
You need to do something with the feedback you receive from customers in order
to make it useful in your customer service process. Take time to regularly review
feedback, identify areas for improvement, and make specific changes in your
business.
Excellent customer service often comes down to consistently checking in with

your customers and making sure they are happy with the products and services
you're selling and the process of purchasing, ordering, working with you. If you
do that successfully, you are on your way to becoming known for providing
excellent customer service.

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https://www.mbopartners.

6 Tips for Building and

How to build strong relationships with clients

1. Focus on Exceptional Communication

2. Maintain a Positive Attitude

5. Be Open about Your Opinions

7 Tips for Writing a

What is a client report?

 At the beginning of a client engagement, it summarizes project background, goals,

Whether your report is a word document, spreadsheet or presentation, the following 7

7 Tips for Writing a Client Report

6. Reflect Your Personal Brand

7. Write for Your Audience

9 Tips for Providing Excellent Customer

Know Your Product or Service

Customer service starts with a smile. When you are in a face-to-face situation, a

Say Thank You

Train Your Staff

Listening is one of the simplest secrets of customer service. It means hearing

There may be nothing worse than nonresponsiveness to a customer who is trying

Ask for Feedback

Use Feedback You Receive

Excellent customer service often comes down to consistently checking in with

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