Congrats! You’ve finally landed that tricky client, but you soon discover that he carries a bit of “baggage.” He doesn’t seem to be able to trust you, and he often questions your ability to meet his needs.
It almost seems as if he’s undergone a bad breakup, and in some ways, he has. In fact, your new client is suffering from vendor PTSD.
It comes into play when a client had unmet expectations with a previous vendor, and the experience was bad enough that he’s now nervous about working with you.
He may mention his horrible experience, and this will become a theme in your discussions of what to expect from each other. But if he doesn’t bring it up, it will most likely lurk beneath the surface of everything he says and does — to the ultimate demise of your partnership.
Just like any soured romance, an unhealthy client and vendor relationship can leave lasting scars, so making this discovery part of the client onboarding process is absolutely crucial. After all, a good client relationship is more than just a detached exchange of expertise for money; it’s a personal relationship, with all the quirks, emotions, and insecurities that come with that.
Setting the Tone
Working with a client suffering from PTSD is a twofold challenge, but it’s certainly not impossible. First, you must address his particular concerns stemming from that experience; then, you have to establish a working relationship that avoids these problems.
The definitive goal is to establish trust, so start with understanding what’s behind the client’s behavior to build mutual understanding. Here are two key methods to uncovering his reservations and expectations:
1. Look and listen. Even if he’s not overt about it, a client’s words and actions often project the issues that are on his mind. For example, if he was billed incorrectly in the past, you may get a lot of requests for billing updates and reports.
Let “look and listen” be your North Star throughout the relationship. Conduct regular reviews of client expectations and satisfaction. His relationship with the previous vendor probably didn’t start poorly — something happened along the way. By being mindfully alert, you can avoid those same mistakes.
2. Over-communicate. You know the old pragmatism that an advertiser must present his message seven times before he can hope a buyer gets it, and you know that telling an employee something once doesn’t guarantee that she understands. So don’t bank on words in a contract or pleasantries at an introductory meeting.
Repeat your message. Then, repeat it again. If you’re comfortable doing so, you can even give your new client your personal phone number and tell him to contact you with any issues. This shows you’re interested and vested in his happiness.
Building Trust
Once you know why your client’s last relationship didn’t work, you can start your journey to performing beyond his low expectations and cultivating an enduring partnership. Here are several specific actions that can get you off to a good start:
- Relate to the client. Sometimes, an indirect approach works best — telling stories about similar situations in the past can be a good way to make a client comfortable. Make sure you also explain how you overcame those obstacles.
- Establish rapport. Ensure that the key account manager is a good fit for the client and that they have a good relationship from the onset. Try meeting in person before the project kicks off. There’s a lot to be gained from a casual face-to-face meeting.
- Understand the client as a person. Is your client, for example, an extrovert or introvert? Consider having the two principal contacts in the relationship take a quick personality test so they can understand each other better.
- Pull in research. Use case studies of past client successes to help your new client feel comfortable.
- Utilize positive testimonials. Provide your new client with high-quality references to review, especially from clients who came to your company from a similarly bad situation.
- Understand the competition. Know your competitors’ strengths and weaknesses so you can clearly explain how your offering will not have the same outcome.
- Align everyone’s expectations. Get everyone involved on the same page about fees, timing, and deliverables. Most failed projects have more to do with mismatched expectations than anything else, and this holds the client accountable as well.
- Offer a guarantee. This is a powerful way to let people know you are committed to their success. When clients haven’t seen good results with another vendor, guarantee some element of your performance — provided that they also do their part. Remember, all relationships require a little give and take.
Awareness, as always, is essential to making this work. If it seems that multiple vendors have been unable to make the client happy, it may be the client who’s the problem. Ask the prospect about past experiences, and ask around for the experiences of vendors who have worked with the prospect.
Like any relationship, a new partnership won’t survive in the long term if you aren’t honest with each other. But when you can take a client’s past issues and grow from them, you create value for each other. In the end, business isn’t just about business — it’s about people. Treating clients as you would expect to be treated is the key to successful, and profitable relationships.