Our Proven Tips for Building Lucrative Long-Term Client Relationships
Real-world advice for creating connection
We love a bit of marketing around here! But did you know that the most lucrative client relationships are probably the ones you already have?
A focus on nurturing long-term connections and promoting loyalty to your brand amongst your current base will help you to both increase and protect your revenue. Busy business owners often let this fall by the wayside; we’re here to tell you that it needs to be top of your list.
Building trust and loyalty is worth your while
Having a tribe of people out there who consider you a trusted provider is invaluable. There are plenty of reasons that’s true; here are a few:
Return business: this one’s a no-brainer. Customers who enjoy your service and have a relationship with you are likely to come back time and again.
Referrals: happy clients and customers will talk you up to their friends and family–and a personal referral. Nielsen’s 2021 Trust in Advertising study revealed that 88% of respondents most trusted recommendations from people they know—word of mouth is clearly and consistently one of the most powerful forms of advertising.
Networking and collaboration: Long-term client relationships can have benefits to your business that go beyond just getting more work. You never know who’s hiding a very valuable connection or collaboration opportunity; don’t unknowingly miss out on a good thing!
Real and relevant tips for strong client relationships
We could have used Chat GPT to offer you a few generic tips for creating strong and long-term client relationships—but why do that when we have real-life experts on hand? Kellie, director and founder here at Released, has put in the work to build and nurture some invaluable business and client relationships in the decade we’ve been around. She is known for it, and she’s shared some fantastic insight that’s relevant to Aotearoa and to the trades and service industries.
1) Aim for excellence; focus on delivering the very best to the clients you already have. Kellie and her leadership team are constantly looking for ways to raise the bar. In our context, that might mean finding a better and more efficient system for some aspect of their bookkeeping or staying up to date on the most effective social media channels for their industry. For your business, it will mean something different—but seeking excellence is something anyone can do.
2) Communicate constantly. In our line of work, it’s almost inevitable that we’re in regular communication with clients. But for some of our tradies, staying in touch is another task on the to-do list. Clients who receive updates on their projects and feel informed about what’s happening are often much more willing to roll with the punches of schedule delays and other issues; a simple proactive phone call or even text can save a relationship. In between projects, regular newsletters or even occasional personal check-ins (for longtime clients or customers) will work wonders for building a lasting connection.
3) CHOOSE your clients. Many business owners feel they have no place being picky about who they take on as customers or clients. However, being able to take on those who will benefit the most from your particular service—and admit that you’re not a good fit for others—is foundational to growing a loyal, satisfied customer base. It has the additional benefit of making your work easier and smoother, with fewer tricky relationships and disappointments. Kellie notes that she’s even “fired” clients in the past (very politely), and has never regretted it.
4) Stay flexible. Being able to do a job last-minute where it fits into your schedule, arrange a payment plan, or adjust a packaged service to better suit a client’s needs is a surefire way to build better relationships. When you can offer flexibility to your clients, it is always appreciated.
5) Use feedback as fuel. Of course, the Released team are always seeking great reviews—but any complaints, criticisms, or feedback are potentially more valuable. These are opportunities to improve and should be treated as such. Kellie offers new clients a 60-day “exploration period” during which they can test out the services and seeks regular feedback both during and at the end of this time. Anything received is taken seriously and solutions are sought. Often, lessons learnt during this time and beyond can be used to improve things for other new or existing clients.
6) Acknowledge occasions! This is a Released trademark, and we have fun with it. We love to put together packages for client (and staff) birthdays, births, Christmas, and more—as well as recognising other significant events, even sad ones. These tokens can brighten someone’s day and keep us top of their mind. Knowing what’s going on in the lives of our most valued clients is a balance; while we keep our relationships professional, general life chat and updates do often come up in communications. We simply take note when they do.
Need help?
If building client relationships is something you’d like to prioritise, we hope Kellie’s advice has helped! Making time to build and nourish these connections can be tricky for busy trades and service business owners, and the business support that Released provides can make it a reality for you. We can take care of incoming and outgoing phone calls and other customer communications, feedback collation, value-add services, arranging your client pressies, and more—as well as freeing you up to focus on excellence.
Book a quick chat with Kellie to talk about how we can be of assistance!
