As management professionals, building a relationship with our clients begins by building trust and confidence. Likely, the new account was acquired due to a lack of confidence in the previous company. Therefore, as the new company we will be held to a higher standard, making it vital to prove ourselves from the start.
How do we accomplish this? We begin the relationship by not only ensuring that we meet the obligations outlined in our contracts, but also that as management professionals, we make a commitment to completely follow through. It is important to remember not to make commitments to clients that we either cannot or will not be able to fulfill. The client relies on us as management professionals to not only meet the contractual requirements, but to also keep promises made to them.
Keep in mind when we do not keep our commitments, contractually or otherwise, we affect our professional reputations that we worked so hard to build. Ultimately we also affect the trust that is so important to establish.
In summary, trust is the beginning block of all good, long-standing relationships. Build that trust with professionalism. It is important to be professional at all times – be honest, polite, punctual, positive, friendly, courteous and most importantly, accountable. Do not be afraid to admit when mistakes have been made – everyone is human and people are more inclined to have confidence and trust in those who hold themselves accountable.
