The Components of a Successful Client Relationship

Working with clients is a tough job but someone has to do it, and most of the time it’s us! While the concept of giving your clients exactly what they ask for seems a daunting task, I’ve come to accept that there are certain invaluable truths which freelancers need to underpin. It’s an unfortunate fact of nature that we will all suffer at the wrath of a bad client at some stage, but using the following five essential rules, you can build a client relationship that makes the most of your abilities.

Know Their Knowledge

It’s quite easy in our position to make assumptions about the level of knowledge an individual has, and as a consequence we can often jump to conclusions regarding how equipped a client is to explore the possibilities of their project. Some clients will have done their research, others won’t have. Some clients will possess solid computer skills (and perhaps even some coding knowledge) but others will not. It’s important that you assess each client individually in order to approach them in a way they will understand. Otherwise you run the risk of confusing and alienating them which will get things off to a bad start.

Understand Their Industry

Let’s face facts here: no matter what field you work in – whether it be design, marketing, writing, or something else – knowing the target audience, the competition, and the industry of your clients project is critical to getting to grips with their considerations. When you begin working with a client you should begin by doing some basic research to see if the client’s wishes are not only possible but suitable for their specific goals. Having such insights will give you essential skills that transcend the communications barrier such as empathy and outside perspective, both of which may save you making mistakes.

Define Their Requirements

While knowing their background and investigating their industry play their parts, defining their true requirements are the meat and potatoes of any project outline. As an essential rule, it’s critical that any freelancer undertaking a project take the time to finalize and reinforce any requirements the client has requested. Early before you begin the development stage is when such clarification pays off as scope creep is often the result of poorly defined goals and objectives. While the paperwork may be the most boring part of the job, organization is critical to a successful working relationship.

Assist Their Education

We all know that clients like to think they are right (as do we). It’s a natural human trait. Sometimes we make mistakes that can simply be fixed, other times these mistakes can rot away at the business. It’s not only essential that the goods we deliver match both the client’s needs and our own high expectations, but we need to deal with situations that may work out badly for the client. As we are responsible for ensuring a quality of work, I maintain that saying “no” and educating clients to make good choices is part of the job, however it’s important to do this with tact and a friendly disposition.

Constant Communication

This final rule underpins everything about managing client relationships. Once we have had meetings with clients and signed off on project details, it’s quite easy for us to slip into an anti-social bubble in which we stop communicating with our clients. This is a bad thing and can lead to problems down the line! Always ensure that you keep your clients in the loop, give them the power and knowledge to ensure that each stage of the process meets the requirements set out and ensure that you don’t overpower your client (or let them overpower you). To work in coordination is to work effectively.

Creating Successful Clients

Successful client relationships aren’t really based on how friendly you are (though that helps) and it’s certainly not all about the quality of work you produce (though that really helps), it’s mainly about the equilibrium that is maintained. As a final thought, consider how you can be more engaging with clients, even those difficult ones which bug the heck out of you. Frustration seems in many cases to result from the way we engage with others, directly or indirectly, and this reflects on our work. Who knows, breaking those barriers could lead to a less stressful existence!