What are the top client relationship strategies for consultants?

"𝐈'𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧'𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐬𝐞." 𝐔𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 "𝐰𝐡𝐲," 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 "𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭": Dig deep to understand their goals & challenges. Active listening, insightful questions, and data are your tools. 𝐂𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐭 𝐚 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐤𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧:Be their trusted guide, not a dictator. Navigate roadblocks, suggest paths, and adjust based on feedback. 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐤𝐞𝐲: Set clear expectations, update progress, and address concerns promptly. Their success, not anxiety, is your compass. 𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐞𝐝, 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬:Deliver results that make them shine. Go the extra mile for lasting loyalty.

Don't just ask what a client's needs are, also the "why". For example, what is causing these needs to occur? Why are these needs important to solve (and more important than others)? What is driving the urgency to solve these needs now? This will give you a better perspective and understanding of the client's objectives.

Completely agree! The project needs to be successful in understanding the needs of the client. Providing the appropriate solution is more important than just offering a solution. Maintaining consistent communication helps everyone stay in touch and adjust to any changes that may occur throughout the project. A specific strategy can be modified by adding depth to our expertise through the effective use of instruments such as surveys and interviews.

The top client relationship strategies for consultants involve understanding client needs deeply, maintaining transparent and frequent communication, building trust through reliability and expertise, delivering tailored solutions, ensuring consistent quality, staying adaptable, fostering personal connections, demonstrating value consistently, anticipating client needs, and engaging in post-project follow-ups for feedback and future collaboration. These strategies cultivate enduring client relationships based on trust, value, and mutual understanding.

Listening to your clients to what matters to them is where it starts. Silence and not feeling like you have to have an immediate response is key. After giving them time, then be curious. What questions can you ask based on what they said, not what you had rehearsed before the conversation.

"𝐈'𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧'𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐬𝐞." ️ 𝟏. 𝐁𝐞 𝐚 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐯𝐚𝐮𝐥𝐭: Don't just solve problems, create opportunities. Show expertise with insightful recommendations, actionable data, and solutions tailored to their unique needs. Track results, share impact, and watch trust soar. 𝟐. 𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬: Deliver on promises, yes, but wow them with quality beyond the clock. Go the extra mile, anticipate needs, and watch loyalty bloom. 𝟑. 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬: Keep clients informed, engaged, and empowered. Set clear expectations, update progress regularly, and address concerns promptly. Openness builds bridges, not walls.

Muchas veces vemos la frase aportar valor y realmente a que se refiere? en mi opinión aportar valor es dar esa cuota de astucia a la mejora de los procesos con pequeñas acciones que reportan un ahorro, que calculado en periodo de tiempo puede convertirse en una gran cifra. Por ejemplo hacerse preguntas, como y esto en donde termina?, que pasa luego de? como puedo esto o aquello mas eficiente? ya que la misma rutina o creer que porque algo se ha realizado durante mucho tiempo de la misma manera en necesariamente bueno ya que, los tiempos van cambiando y no perder de vista los detalles hoy por hoy hace la diferencia.

"𝐈'𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧'𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐬𝐞." 𝟏. 𝐁𝐞 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭: Listen actively, ask insightful questions, and understand their "why," not just their "what." Empathy and genuine interest build trust faster than expertise alone. 𝟐. 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐩, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬:Become a trusted guide, crafting solutions tailored to their unique landscape. Be open to feedback, adjust course, and celebrate milestones together. 𝟑. 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬: Set clear expectations, update progress regularly, and address concerns promptly. Remember, their anxiety isn't your north star – their success is.

En el ámbito de la consultoría, la confianza y la confidencialidad con el cliente son fundamentales para llevar a cabo con éxito los proyectos o procesos en los que estamos involucrados. En ocasiones, la honestidad se convierte en un activo invaluable; reconocer abiertamente los desafíos que enfrentamos en la culminación de una tarea, junto con la identificación de los obstáculos que la complican, puede ser más valioso que sugerir que todo transcurre sin inconvenientes.

An effective consultant needs to adapt to the situations they are presented with, and this needs to be built into any statement of work. Although the engagement and deliverables may be clearly defined in advance, there needs to be recognition from the consultant that things may change and they may need to adapt to circumstances.

Offer to set up periodic check-ins to "continue the conversation" and discuss key issues the client is facing. Do not use these sessions to pitch project ideas. The discussions should be for the client to share any updates on what he/she is working on, brainstorm, or talk about industry trends.

En mi experiencia el rol del consultor no termina, cuando concluye el proyecto. Hacer seguimiento y pedir feedback a nuestros clientes tambien aporta valor y habla bien de nosotros. Y es el que ese acompañamiento extra, que no va ligado necesariamente a un pago o comisión es lo que genera esa relación a largo plazo y que nos da el sello diferenciador en nuestro rol de consultor.