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client relationships
Regardless of whether your ideal client is an independent business owner or part of a large organization, the time you spend in choosing the rights clients will put you further ahead in the long run than settling for work from those who don't "fit" you business model or professional value system.
The stress generated by unhealthy client relationships may eventually cause you to question your ability to run a business. If you don't value your skills, you may lose your resilience in the face of undue criticism, which can make you more vulnerable to being exploited.
In today's competitive business arena, there are many good reasons to stay close and often collaborate with your competitors -- as long as you find your niche and stick to it. Leaders in many industries are locked in mortal combat to gain market share and boost their company's share price.
Three widely acknowledged conversational no-fly zones at business or social gatherings are religion, politics and sex. To venture into any of these potentially volatile spaces is to risk triggering a difference in opinion or, worse, an argument with those you are attempting to build a new business relationship with.
If you aren't aware of your clients' changing needs, how can you make sure you're still meeting them? You need to make sure you are helping to solve your clients' business problems rather than just selling them your products. And how does your product offering stack up against a saturated market? Do you stand out?
It's great to work with someone who makes you feel important. Someone who remembers your name, and maybe that you have a dog named Brownie or that you recently took a vacation to Florida. When you work with someone like that, the time seems to fly and you look forward to working with them again.
One thing I have learned after more than three decades as a marketing communications consultant and business coach is that robust client relationships take time, even years, to build. They are the result of efforts to build trust through delivering value. Here are ten tips to consider to create client relationships built on trust.
