The success factor of any good B2B (Business-to-Business) company depends largely on strong client relationship, which is especially applicable for small companies and organizations in its early stage. Exceptional client service marks the core value of any business, whereby the organization aims to become a trusted partner of the customer, rather than viewing them as a vendor for their buyers.
Client relationship helps to differentiate companies from their competition by building strong relationships, whereby the level of service is one of the primary reasons customers prefer working with these organizations.
Here are lists of points, what we believe it takes companies to transform them from a vendor consideration set to trusted partners of an organization:
1. Be patient while building relationships
Whether you are using a CRM or using other means to develop a relationship with your clients, building relationships take time. Do not indulge in insincere schmoozing, as it can sidestep your objectives. Rather, take the time to understand your client, and in the process share a little bit of yourself. It is always important to remember that what you serve to your client, your work, is paramount in building a relationship. For at the end, no amount of personal connections can substitute for a great work.
2. Get to know your client’s industry and company
Always keep yourself updated with information about your client’s company as well as news and reports of their industry. You do not always have to be an expert, but knowing your client’s business will not only help you to speak the same language as your client but also understand the factors what are keeping them up at night. Knowing your clients better will help you to cater your interactions and offerings accordingly.
3. Go the extra mile
As you are growing your business and your client relationship, many times you will reach crossroads when you will have to make a decision on when to expand or adjust your core offerings to cater to the need of a specific client. The advantages of offering customized solutions to your clients are mainly two-fold:
However, it is best to remember over here, if you are making a noteworthy departure from your primary offerings always see that you are sufficiently compensated for rendering your services.
4. Treat every client as your most significant one
This is no brainer that happy clients are more likely to provide you with referrals. Provide all your clients with your best services regardless whether they are a small business or a Fortune 500 company. You can never identify whom your clients know or whom they can refer you. We have observed it on several occasions, when clients switch jobs, be it within the organization or to a new company if you have nurtured a good relationship with your client they often recommend your products or services to their new teams.
Also, remember that today’s small companies could be the big companies of tomorrow and it feels amazingly fulfilling to be trusted partner fueling your client’s growth.
5. Be more than just an email address
Despite the prevalence of using email communication for maintaining client relationship while using a CRM, email communications can be misconstrued, during taxing and stressful situations, especially when the recipient and the sender do not know each other well. Hence, consider calling up your clients over a phone call, Skype or meet them in person to put a face to your name. Calling up your client for informing a good news, is a great way to build a better relationship.
Summarize your next steps
No matter how unimportant or quick a client meeting seems, always recapitulate the conversations with next steps. You may think that you will remember all the details (maybe you certainly will), but your client may not. Using a CRM platform helps a lot in keeping recorded history of your past conversations with your clients so that you are always aligned with them on the same page. This prevents a lot of confusion down the road while building a great client relationship.
Now that you have learned how you can build a wonderful client relationship with your CRM if you have anything to share from your own experiences, write to us in the box below.
