Isn’t life and work easier when your clients think you and your work is great?
They give you more work and referrals.
Life is bliss.
In all relationships it can be the little things that cause cracks to appear and if they are ignored then relationships can break down.
I recently wrote a post about getting the best from your marketing service providers and Dennis Salvatier from Salvatier Studios wrote a good post yesterday 5 Ways to be Your Designers #1 Client.
And as in any relationship there are always two sides regarding expectations, perceptions etc and here are a few tips on how to be your clients’ favourite marketing service provider:
Know your client’s account cycle
One of the frustrations can be chasing payment for you.
From a client’s perspective being chased for payment especially when the request for payment is outside the account cycle is annoying.
Most businesses and definitely with larger companies there are certain dates when invoices will be paid.
For example businesses they may process invoices on the 29th of the month. However they may only pay those invoices received by the 24th of the month.
Miss that date and you are waiting another month. It will not matter if your invoice says 7 days they will most likely not even look at it.
For all clients especially new ones ask them when their cut off date each month is. If your client is in a larger company make contact with the accounts department as they can be a friend when you are chasing payment.
If your clients are other small businesses again ask them when they pay as they should have a system for processing invoices received.
Explain your rational
This mainly applies to new work. I wrote in the previous post that service providers can’t read a client’s mind and the same applies to you.
As you created the work, whether it is copy, design or even consulting you understand the reasons behind what you are presenting.
The client may not and often especially with creative work, providing a rational can remove concerns and gain acceptance a lot quicker.
Give them time
While design or copywriting, consulting or whatever service you provide is your world it is only a small part of your clients.
Sure the project can be important but they also have many other things they have to do in your work day and occupy their minds.
One tip is give them time to approve, make comments or accept what you present as they will do a better job of going through the work. One way to overcome this is to ensure there is an agreed timetable.
Don’t surprise
The exception to this is when the surprise is a good one.
If they have given you a brief then it is irritating to be presented with something that is off brief. If you have any questions or you want something clarified don’t assume and ask them before you start working on the project.
If you come up with a better idea or way of doing something either talk with them during the process or at least meet the brief as well as presenting your idea.
One tip is to make notes of conversations, meetings etc and send them a copy of the notes as this can make sure you are both on the same page.
What are your thoughts on this topic?
The flip side – - I’m a good example of the client having to be upfront and honest with the provider.
Currently, the only real “steady” monthly income I have is a disability check, received a certain day each month…..their fee schedule means little to me.
I make sure to tell ahead of anything else, this is when and how much I can pay, is that OK with you?
So far, so good.
Hi Dennis,
You make really good points and I wrote a post about what service provider need to know such as the payment schedule of clients.This is so easy to do but many forget to ask and then wonder why invoices are not paid.
I bet you are a favourite client because of your approach.
Well, that depends on whether my available pay date is 2 days away or 30. lol
Hi Krissy,
Thank you and you are so right about it is the little things that matter. Great idea about giving your client list an overhaul because we sometimes forget that things can change with them and their business which may affect our business.
Best of luck with it.
Thank you Susan! Things are going great with the process so far. Even just scheduling time to send a quick “How are things?” e-mail to them–you’d be surprised at the feedback! Especially if they’ve been meaning to contact you to work on a project for them, but the time kept slipping away. It gives them that little extra push so that you can move ahead together.
Krissy it is the little things that count and I like the “How are things” emails as it to me is like a friend just calling and saying do not want anything, just wanted to see how things are. We forget that clients are busy and like in our personal relationships get caught up with other things.
Taking the initiative like you do is a great way of doing business in a friendly way.
What an insightful post! I really enjoyed it. This year my goal is to complete an overhaul of my client list–going through each, one by one, making sure that I am up-to-snuff on their future goals for the year. I think this will be a great way to a) get to know them on a more personal level (which works wonders, especially in terms of word-of-mouth advertising, and b) make sure my schedule is setup in such a way to make room for their future plans. It’s the little things that matter, and the extra attention to detail, no matter how large your client list is, goes a long way.
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