Sweat beads behind your neck as you wait at the head of the table. Your 3-piece suit is too hot and your polished wingtips are uncomfortable. You worry your coiffed hairdo might get blown out of place by the forced-air ventilation. But, you’re prepared, and that’s what matters. Branded pens and notepads are perfectly placed at each setting; highball water glasses within reach of each attendee. Clicker in hand, you launch the opening screen of your PowerPoint presentation, ready for a fun-filled few hours with your client.
You’re feeling confident – you’re dressed to impress, everything is in its place, and you’re ready to win a big, new contract. You’ve made sure you’re looking as old-school professional as you can, because your potential client is old-school professional. Err, or are they?
Clients hire you for a variety of reasons, and a big one – possibly the biggest – is your natural personality. Not your A4 graph paper notepads. Not the denier of your tights. Not how severe your shoulder pads are. Not the stuffiness of your boardroom.
Here are 7 tips to help you avoid the fakery to ensure your client relationships start off on the right foot.
1) DON’T OVERDUE ‘PROFESSIONAL’
It can be detrimental to your business if you concentrate too much on being ‘professional’, rather than genuinely connecting with your potential client. We’re not saying you should wear a tracksuit and serve cereal at your meeting just because you’re most comfortable doing that at home; there’s an element of common sense that needs to be injected into your planning. What we are saying, if you’re building a brand – which means, above all else, how your customers perceive you and your business – is that you want to make sure your foundation isn’t built on a kind of old-fashioned ‘professionalism’ that you won’t be able to sustain.
2) BE YOURSELF, ATTRACT THE RIGHT CLIENTELE
If you’re a naturally laid back person, you’ll attract laid back clients. If you love a pressed suit surrounded by perfectly placed pencils in a formal board room, you’ll win clients who appreciate that style. Don’t act like something you’re not, or the client/supplier relationship will end up more strained than your grandpa’s back, with expectations being way out of whack before you even begin. If you want to have great client relationships, be your natural self, and you’ll find many of your clients will turn into not only your bread and butter, but your friends.
3) KNOW YOUR CLIENT
Never, ever, NEVER go to a meeting without first researching your potential client. If you don’t know the first thing about their business, go on, try to fake it. Think your client won’t notice? Think again. A sound knowledge of a business is something you simply can’t fake, so don’t take the risk – do your research.
4) FLATTERY: ONLY IN SMALL DOSES
Ugh, seriously. Please shut the front door when it comes to laying on the flattery. It’s embarrassing. Yeah, we all like our egos stroked every once in a while, but there’s a mahoosive line between a genuine compliment and cringe-worthy I-want-your-business-so-bad flattery. If you must, keep the compliments short and sweet. You’re there to show the client their business will benefit from using your services, not the other way around.
5) SET THE RIGHT SCENE
Meet with your clients where you feel comfortable, in a scene that reflects who you are and what you want to portray about your business. There’s no rule about where to meet with clients, and it varies from person to person and from business to business. If you’re doing a presentation, invite the potential client somewhere that sets the scene: if you’re being commissioned to paint a mural, meet at a local art café or gallery; if you’re a garden designer, meet with a prospect in one of the gardens you designed; if you’re an accountant and are trying to win a multi-million pound contract, invite the company’s director to your office and show them all of your staff hard at work. Wherever you choose to meet, make sure it’s somewhere that reflects your brand.
6) CHAT UP A STORM
One of the best ways to get through that first meeting awkwardness, and to avoid any uptight conversational fakery, is to chat up a storm. Let your guard down slightly and talk about your kids, your favourite restaurants, your new bike, your recent holiday to Carcassonne, or your cat who left you a lovely hairball on your laptop this morning. Talking genuinely not only breaks the ice, but it breaks down the walls of professional fakery and brings things down to earth so you can truly connect with your client.
7) TELL THE TRUTH
There’s nothing worse than a salesperson who skews the truth (especially when it’s obvious) – this is fakery that’s not only embarrassing, but can ruin your business. Twisting the truth may help you out in the moment, but if you want a client to work with you long term, don’t inflate what you can offer. You either won’t be able to offer what you’ve promised, or your client will find out about your little white lies – either way, it’s not a tactic that will build an honest, successful business.
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We're happy to walk through any of the above in the context of your specific situation. No obligation, no jargon.