How can I keep my clients?
When it comes to keeping your clients, it boils down to keeping them happy. You have to make sure that you are delivering far more than compliance; providing valuable advice is one way to make sure that they stay with your firm.
There is, however, more to client retention than happy clients. Often, it takes a whole of firm approach to indeed deliver the right culture and environment that makes your clients want to keep coming back and stay with your firm for the long haul. It starts by adopting a mindset that centres on your clients. Here’s a few tips on how:
Treat clients the way you want to be treated
It’s not hard to deliver an excellent customer experience when you can identify with the needs of your clients. You do that by remembering what you look for, in the people you do business with. You would only work with a firm that you trust and understands your business. If these are what you seek a business relationship where you are the paying client, why would you deliver anything less to your clients?
Implement a client feedback program
Not only does collecting client feedback allow you to gain insight into your customer’s expectations and level of satisfaction, but you show value in them by asking their opinions. Clients become invested in your business when they feel their thoughts and opinions are helping shape your firm.
There are various ways to solicit feedback from your clients. You can mail formal client satisfaction surveys and post engagement questionnaires. Invite your client for a casual catch up over coffee or lunch; relay your intent to ask them how they find your services and if they have any suggestions for improvement. Visit your clients at their place of business to learn more about their operations while asking how they’re doing and what you can do differently to deliver them with better service. Whatever you do, make sure that those clients who contribute to your feedback learn about how you have implemented it. It just closes the loop and make them feel valued.
Learn all you can about your client’s business
Clients want to feel they are receiving special attention through personalised services. And the way you can deliver that is by knowing all the ins and outs of their business. You can’t provide exceptional service without knowing their unique challenges and specific business goals. And by learning all you can about their business, the better you become at anticipating their needs.
Nurture each client relationship through personalisation
Clients can tell when they’re receiving general treatment or being sent template responses. And when they realise it, they will likely leave and find a firm where they feel special. When you tailor your communications, you demonstrate that you view each client as unique. While a highly personalised approach is time-consuming, it’s time well-spent if it means gaining the loyalty of your clients (and there are plenty of CRMs out there that will help you to do it efficiently).
When it comes to keeping your clients, the secret is to cultivate relationships and to involve them in your efforts to improve your services. Not only will clients feel valued, but they will feel honoured to be instruments of your success, the more their contributions and opinions are sought after. Invest in your clients, and they will invest in you.