How to Build Relationships with Challenging Clients
Recently a colleague asked, “What’s the best way to form a relationship with an awkward or ‘strictly business’ client?” It’s a really important question that reflects empathy. And building strong relationships with clients — inclusive of any personality type — is a goal of any accomplished account management professional…so let’s address it here.
A premise
Let’s start with the premise that it’s a core responsibilities of any client-servicing professional is building strong, long-term relationships with clients. Why? Because at the end of the day, the agency-client relationship is the cornerstone of everything we do and is the foundation upon which all successful engagements are built.
Relationships are relationships, right?
It’s absolutely critical to understand that the basis for client-agency relationships are similar to relationships between any two human beings. And the agreement to enter into a client-agency relationship is very much like a marriage: you have your main partner, and then the rest of your family, and all of the partner’s family. They are all, essentially, involved in your relationship to some extent.
The relationship is a marathon not a sprint, and it needs attention and maintenance. In some ways, the client-agency relationship is like the TV show 90 Day Fiance on the TLC network. Two people with different backgrounds and their own baggage come together with the shared hope of a long-term commitment. You have a relatively short period of time to get to know each other (for example, the first project") and then both need to decide if you want to keep it going. Every step, every day, is a test as you learn more about each other. This early, trial period in some ways, highlights the importance of establishing rapport with your key contact(s).
Different strokes for different folks
In the process of establishing rapport with your clients, there are roughly three distinct scenarios you’ll need to be able to manage if you want to be successful in setting up a long-term relationship: people you instantly gel with, awkward people that need some time, and “difficult” people. Let’s explore each scenario and outline methods to help set you up for success.
1. Fast Friends
The best case scenario in the relationship-building process is engaging with a client contact who you simply gel with from the start. These folks are approachable and embrace you and your agency. You may have similar personalities, working styles, and a natural respect for the agency-client dynamic. It’s easy to speak with these people and they will have a conversation with you about both business, and at least to some extent, their personal lives. You can talk about virtually anything from hobbies to families to sports to current events. It’s highly recommended to steer clear of any subjects that you would normally avoid even in family settings — like religion and politics — at least until you really get to know them and they bring it up first.
2. Introverts
Some clients are simply shy, introverts. These people are less inclined to initiative conversations or open up about personal subjects, and will take some additional effort to establish rapport with. In communicating with introverts, go slower in getting to know them. Start with less-personal topics and peel back the layers with them over time. Lean towards work topics initially and demonstrate that you care about their business and the work you do for them. Test the waters with these folks prior to the start of meetings or during site visits with just one or two ice-breaking questions to learn more about them gradually. Share bits and bytes about yourself and look for common ground. Keep this up until you find some topics that they will open up about. You’re looking for inspirations that will establish and then gradually open up the guardrails for your conversations. Keep the marathon mentality and remain patient with these folks — they need some time to warm up to you.
3. Opposites don’t always attract
Finally, you will certainly cross paths with clients who are generally labeled “difficult”. These folks might be intimidating, braggarts, A-types that are difficult to connect with on a personal level. These people generally present as “too busy” and remain a moving target. It may be the case that you have very little in common with these people and you find yourself gravitating towards really superficial “small talk”, like the weather. It’s really important to demonstrate inner strength and resolve with these folks, which will normally earn their respect over time. Always keep in mind that these people are just people too. They often have ambitious goals, so it’s really important that you identify their goals and demonstrate that you are aligned with them and will ensure that you help accomplish their goals. This is another case to keep the marathon mentality and chip away over time. You may never become friendly with these folks, however you can still earn their respect, if not their trust, by delivering on their expectations.
Establishing proxies
As an account services leader, it’s always important to recognize that success or failure is a team effort. Since most engagements involve many stakeholders on the client side, it’s likewise important to identify client stakeholders who may fall into one of the above categories and for which you may need some help in establishing rapport. Part of your leadership involves knowing your team, including your agency’s executives or functional leadership, that may be leveraged to help build bridges to these more challenging client stakeholders. This is absolutely plausible and can prove to be a very prudent approach.
As an example, in my former capacity as a group account director and lead for a large client engagement, there was an executive client stakeholder (CMO) that was just one of those people who refused to engage with anyone below their title. I didn’t take it personally, it’s just one of those things that happen. So to ensure we had an active connection with this important stakeholder, I leveraged our agency Chief Client Officer by setting up a monthly call between the two execs to touch base regarding our overall progress. I produced and sent a high level status and key actions items to both execs (copying my primary contact) at least 24 hours prior to their call, and also set up a briefing with the CCO at least a half day prior to the “top to top” call to ensure he understood both the status and state of the relationship; we’d then debrief afterwards. This went on successfully for about six months, and eventually the client CMO would occasionally contact me directly with a question or two. I would let both my CCO and client contact know the nature of the inquiry and my response so they remained aware. Over time, the CMO became more involved in our quarterly business reviews (QBRs) and became a much more vocal advocate for our agency. It may not always work out this well, however with effort and patience, it’s a good case study in leveraging proxies to build excellent relationships with clients across their organization.
Summary
Building strong, long-term relationships with your clients takes awareness, empathy, and often, patience. It all starts with establishing rapport with your client stakeholders, getting to know them first professionally and eventually personally. In some cases, it’s effective to leverage proxies to help connect with stakeholders that may be more challenging for whatever reason. Continue to develop your client relationships and continue to expand your reach across their organization. Do this, and you will Own The Damn Fence.
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