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Are You Keeping Bodies Buried in the Backyard of Your Clients’ Businesses?
Be as open as possible with your clients without overloading them on the technical stuff. It’s all about building trust, and you can’t do that if they think you’re keeping secrets from them.
2 Min Read
Recently, we had a client pick up a new contract with a company that was escaping a relationship with a bad IT provider. The transition was a nightmare for the business. Why? Because their previous IT company had constantly kept them in the dark about the state of their technology.
How transparent are YOU with your clients?
When you say, “Honesty is the best policy,” you'd better mean it. Be as open as possible with your clients without overloading them on the technical stuff. It’s all about building trust, and you can’t do that if they think you’re keeping secrets from them. Even if something goes wrong with a bad bug or a security breach, you need to keep them in the loop. Own up to everything you do, good and bad, and if it’s bad – make it right.
Have regular meetings: These are always better in person, but even a phone call once a month to check in on how things are going is better than waiting until there’s a problem to talk. Talk for a bit with your contact, and find out how things are going not just with their technology, but with their overall business. If they mention any problems they’ve been experiencing or a new goal they have, see if you can offer a solution. Take every opportunity to build trust.
Send out regular health reports: You don’t need to have a giant document full of data that they won’t care about, but you should still be keeping your client in the know about the health of their systems. Let them know what’s working, what isn’t working, and what can be done or has been done to make things better.
Use plain English: Remember, you’re a business consultant first, and a technician second. Speak the same language as your clients – no technobabble! Smack yourself if you ever start using rambling technical jargon. Keep it simple, keep it focused on business operations and values, and keep it friendly.
If the only way you can keep your business is by making it impossible to leave, you are doing a disservice to you clients, your industry, and yourself. Stay honest, stay open, and show off what you’re good at. If you do it well, they’ll have no reason to ever want to go anywhere.
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