Client courting involves developing a strong relationship that can lead to ongoing work, referrals and networking opportunities. For Building Strong Business Relationships.

While the relationship is of a professional nature, acknowledging that you see them as more than a paycheck can go a long way.

1. Be genuine.

The business relationship between the seller and client can be a tricky thing, even in the best of times. In a perfect world, these relationships are healthy partnerships with open lines of communication and mutual respect. However, navigating this treacherous territory requires skill and persistence.

Business leaders must learn to view every potential and current client as a person with their own desires, motives and interests. This is a vital step in building genuine business relationships.

People want to work with businesses that are genuine. They will quickly recognize a phony, so be yourself when courting clients. This will make them feel valued and will also help move them smoothly through the Know stage into the Like stage of the sales process. Showing you genuinely care about your clients may mean hosting a business lunch, inviting them to community events or sending cards to mark holidays and special occasions. Providing these small gestures will help set you apart from your competition.

2. Be flexible.

Like dating, forming business relationships can be tricky. They can be fraught with self-doubt, misunderstanding and bad behavior.

Maintaining a flexible approach to client courtship can make for productive working relationships. Rather than always arguing your case, be willing to listen and be open to different perspectives.

Keeping an eye on a project requires communication that is timely and thorough. Whether it’s in-person, via videoconferencing or over the phone, communicating frequently with clients will help to foster strong and healthy business relationships. Moreover, it will reassure clients that their projects are important to you and will not fall through the cracks. Providing timely communications will also ensure that clients have access to the resources they need to complete a project on time. This will improve overall customer satisfaction and increase project revenue. Ideally, these communications will not impede on the firm’s productivity or create conflict with other projects.

3. Be consistent.

People respect and connect with people who keep their word in any context, and business relationship-building is no exception. Over-promising and under-delivering is a recipe for disappointment, frustration and distrust.

A consistent approach to client courting demonstrates that your firm is serious about building productive working relationships. It also allows you to deliver on your promises. While this may not be as obvious as other tactics on this list, being consistently available and responding to clients’ emails in a timely manner is important for fostering strong relationships.

Another way to demonstrate consistency is by consistently seeking and incorporating feedback from your clients, employees and corporate partners. This helps to ensure that every interaction is a win-win, no matter what the outcome. It also provides you with a great deal of information that you can use to improve your operations, products or services.

4. Be persistent.

When courting business relationships, timely communication is key. Having your team reach out at a regular cadence is essential for keeping you top of mind for your clients, ensuring that they are comfortable being honest and open with you.

However, it is important to not annoy your client with too many calls and emails. This is because overly-aggressive sales tactics erode trust and demonstrate that what you want is more important than the relationship.

Having strong business relationships is vital for every professional. Whether it is for job opportunities, referrals or expanding your network, these connections are invaluable. As long as you prioritize these relationships and are able to create value for your clients, they will return the favor. This can help you grow your business, expand your career and develop innovative ideas. Moreover, happy clients are loyal customers and can help you boost your bottom line needs read more hear.