Managing your clients’ perception & expectations through effective communication and relationship building

We may initially have a healthy and good intention to work or form a partnership with another organization or business but sometimes based on the nature of what they do or who they are in terms of their values, can impact the dynamic in your partnership.

As entrepreneurs and professionals, we do strive to work with likeminded individuals, with similar energy who want to achieve something together or build something of significance. Learning each other’s work and relationship styles begins from the very first point of contact and much like dating, it becomes a constant interview.

In PR, we call it managing reputation or perceptions. And though there is much to say about our reality vs their reality, there are signs that we look for as Communications professionals that tell us the relationship may need some work. You may be trying to get more work or build a relationship where your client trusts you and accepts your advice or wants to continue to work with you. But if that is not the case and you find yourself in a situation where you have an angry or disappointed client, here are a few communication steps you can take:

1. Actively listen to your client’s concerns and try to understand their perspective. Anger, agitation, and annoyance happens much later. There are probably things that happened along the journey with your client. Try and find out what those issues / triggers are. Make sure that you are genuinely listening and interested in what they are saying. You get as much as you give in relationships. If you are not genuinely interested, your client will pick that up. Make sure that you let them know that you want to address their concerns, even if it makes you uncomfortable or may take longer than expected.
2. Empathize: Demonstrate empathy and comprehension for how your client feels or their perception of the situation. Avoid being defensive or dismissive. This could make the situation worst.
3. Manage expectations by being clear about what you can and cannot deliver and then manage accordingly. A strong business personality will respect you for being frank and honest by not wasting their time and energy. They can find another business to do the work you cannot do. This will protect your reputation with your client and potential clients within their network.
4. Show humility: In business, it’s cool to have an upper hand but your client always has the upper hand. They feed you. Be humble. Remember 6 degrees of separation. We make choices based on how people, that we already have an established and close connection with, talk about how they have experienced your business. This is an unspoken rule of the business world. Even if it is biased and not fair to you, your organization or team. And most times, the people that make the decisions, don’t have time to test or pilot the relationship, so they rely on another’s experience for due diligence.
5. Maintain a healthy relationship with your client by staying positive and open by working through this tough situation with your client. Remember, even in these kinds of relationships, there is a natural stage of storming when diverse personalities and expectations come together. Make sure your client knows that you value their business and are committed to find and come to a mutually beneficial agreement and state.
6. Offer solutions and alternatives: collaborate with your client and make suggestions on how you can improve their experience, that aligns with their needs and business objectives. If you are at fault, apologize. So that you can move on. Be creative and flexible in your approach here.
7. Share updates: once the contingency plan is in effect, remember to share updates on the progress of the task at hand. This will help alleviate some of your client’s frustrations as they will be able to monitor progress.
8. Stay calm and professional. It is difficult for a client to hear or understand in your side when you are angry or agitated. We tend to say things that we cannot take back when we are in a heated situation. It is important to remain calm and professional throughout. Your client will remember how they experienced this situation with you. Avoid becoming confrontational.

What to do when a client does not know what they want

1. Ask them what they think they want and see how this aligns to what you do. What are their goals and what do they want to achieve?
2. Have a constructive briefing session and make sure that the client commits pen to paper. If you can’t get them to commit in a meeting, send them a brief template with direct questions and criteria.
3. Organize a creative session using continuous improvement tools to understand the current environment your client finds themselves in and how what you do will move them towards their goals. Send me a message if you may need this yourself. I offer consultations and workshops to understand what it is you want, what to prioritize and accomplish your goals, using simple continuous improvement and systems thinking tools and activities.

When should you consider walking away?

It’s hard to say.  Every situation is different. Gauge your input vs the output. Are you giving more energy and getting little back financially? Are you spending more time correcting or doing low value work than earning and securing more work? The client may be using you or their power to keep it in a win/lose space.

There are some situations that validate saying goodbye to a client even though it is not an easy decision to make. Here are a few things to look out for: 

1. Misaligned expectations. You’ve tried to redirect and realign your objectives and expectations but even after agreeing in person, after lengthy discussion, you still find that what they want and what you want is not the same. Then you may find that the client is wasting both of your time and energy on something that may not be as important for them in the long run.
2. Unreasonable and unrealistic demands. The reality is, no one can accomplish big dreams if the system or resource is not in place. Be clear and upfront about what you can and cannot do. Maybe you just aren’t the person/ business for the job. We can’t be everything for everyone. Walking away from a client is not a bad thing if it protects your reputation in the future.
3. Unprofessional behavior. In the article, how to cultivate healthy relationships, I talk about the role of power in relationship. To ignore it, does not mean that it does not exist. There is a natural power dynamic between client and vendor – the client has the upper hand and automatically holds the power. That does not validate bad behavior like rudeness, meanness, manipulation, or coercion. You would do better to move on and find a client that values your time, energy, and work than one on an ego trip.
4. Money issues. Not to state the obvious but a fundamental business principle is that if you are offering a service or product, the client or customer must pay for it. Nothing is for free in business. If you are not being paid for the work that you do, in the time that you are owed that payment, and it is happening consistently, it’s time to move on. This is compromising your income and ability to survive.

Being strategic in your approach to communications and relationship building, can effectively manage your client’s perception or expectations and build a positive relationship that is beneficial for both parties. Remember that relationships are made and broken daily. Managing your reputation and client’s perception of your business, is a daily task too. Be sure to check the temperature of your relationship and treat this as a marathon and not a sprint.