Building client relationships

I’ve been working with an agency team to define their account management role. Discussions about the role and its responsibilities have prompted further conversations about establishing and maintaining great client relationships. 

Building a solid client relationship is sometimes easy and sometimes…not so much. The fact is, no two clients will ever be the same. Some require more education and handholding, while others require wrangling and pleading. The thing is, you’ll never know what they need without clear boundaries and expectations.

This sounds a lot like any human relationship, doesn’t it? Of course! Professional or otherwise, any relationship requires commitment, attention, communication, and trust. Whether you’re building a connection based on an attraction or the terms of a contract, you both have to show up and put in the work.

That’s why setting clear expectations about your roles, how you’ll interact, and what cadence you’ll check in to discuss the work—and the relationship. While I love a good process with clear accountabilities, I think a “process” meant to help you build and grow a relationship must be flexible and organic. So, we’re looking at touchpoints, conversation starters, reporting, and metrics to keep relationships in check.

But more importantly, in this instance, we’re leaning on these talented account managers to be themselves, show up with genuine authenticity and curiosity, and comfortably work within the framework we’re creating. That’ll give the team the foundation they need to do their jobs successfully, and leadership will have more confidence in their ability to show up and shine.

It’s a win-win-win for the clients, the account managers, and the leadership. With these discussions and the follow-up documentation, we’re not only building relationships externally but also standards, expectations, accountability, and better relationships internally. That feels good.

Get in touch if you need a fresh perspective on how your company manages relationships or process.