Many client surveys reveal that one of the keys to client engagement is having a “strong personal relationship” with your client.  So let’s examine this concept in a little more detail.

A “strong personal relationship”?

For product industries it is possible for consumers to form strong “personal” relationships with their products (e.g. iPhones).  For service professionals, however, your clients are unlikely to form a relationship with your services/products and are much more likely to form a relationship with you and your team.

This personal relationship is very important for client engagement and there are some strategies you can take to form personal relationships with clients.  A strong personal relationship doesn’t mean being friends and hanging out.  It means having a 1:1 relationship that is beyond simple transactional discussions.  Let’s look at five strategies for boosting your personal relationship with clients.

1 - Consistency of contact

A personal relationship is only going to be formed through consistent contact with your client.  Consistency in the person (i.e. the same adviser contacts the client each time), consistency in the frequency (i.e. contact occurs regularly) and consistency in the conversation (i.e. retaining client information and building upon it).  Idea:  Implement a “call schedule” in your calendar to ensure all (top/major/B rated or better) clients are called every 2/3/4 months at the very least.

2 - Holistic view

A personal relationship means a broader view of the relationship, with the occasional question and interest in aspects of the client’s business beyond your area of service.  Idea:  Ensure your Fact Find documents are capturing some information beyond your service and that this information is in turn captured in your CRM. Too often this information is asked as ice-breaking in an initial meeting and then forgotten.

3 - Helping not just servicing

A personal relationship occasionally means providing the client with some genuine help – help means advice for free.  Impersonal relationships focus purely on servicing clients in exchange for remuneration and have a distinct transactional feeling.  Idea:  Create a “Help file” (a file or email folder) of information that can be given away for free and drip feed this to clients each month.

4 - Occasional personal touch

A personal relationship needs a personal touch.  This doesn’t mean taking the client bowling or having them to your home for dinner.  Idea:  The odd handwritten note, a forwarded weblink with a one sentence FYI, an invite to an end-of-year function.  Just a few of these personal touches strengthen the personal relationship. A monthly reminder in your Calendar to write five handwritten notes to clients can go a long way...

5 - Two-way advice

A personal relationship means a relationship.  Relationships are two-way.  While you may give plenty of advice to your clients, it dramatically strengthens the relationship to invite the client to provide you with some advice.  Be it HR strategy, marketing, financial, time management, staff engagement.  Clients are flattered to be asked for advice and demonstrating that you are receptive to their advice only boosts their level of engagement with you...and often increases their openness and reception to your advice in return.  Idea:  If you find yourself working on an internal issue (planning, strategy, process), call three clients and ask for their feedback and input.  Then enjoy one of the best conversations you will have with a client.