For us at Presentation Studio, a current challenge is finding new ways to maintain relationships with our clients. Gone are the days of coffee catch-ups or afternoon drinks, and with everyone well and truly over Zoom calls it’s tricky to know how best to keep in touch with our valued clients.
These meetings played an important role in the way companies did business. They gave space for people to demonstrate their personality, understand each other better and spark productive conversations and discussions. Without these meetings, sales teams are going to need to develop new, engaging ways to spark those same conversations and build meaningful relationships in an increasingly digital world. Well managed social media and online forms of communication are going to have to fill these gaps in a way that is efficient and purposeful.
We’ve developed four ideas to help you to spark meaningful questions and maintain client relationships in a socially distanced world.
Celebrating client wins
The global pandemic has led to some tough times for businesses and individuals alike. Rising rates of poor mental health and businesses foreclosures mean that people are desperately looking to hear good news. Celebrating client wins are an incredible way to not only spread some positivity but also spark a conversation about how you’ve helped other organisations achieve a positive result in unprecedented times.
This could mean resharing wins that clients have shared on their external communication channels or it means creating your own communication materials that promote the exciting results. In the former scenario, following up with clients after working with them on a project to ask about the results could be a great way to start a conversation on a new initiative.
Being intentional
While most people are suffering from zoom-fatigue, it’s not like phone calls and video chats are completely out of the question. They will, however, become more infrequent, which means you need to make the most of the time you do spend with clients on a phone or video call. Planning is key to ensuring you get the most out of your meetings, create a list of things you need to know about how they are working.
Get the most out of the phone call by taking specific notes. Write down anything they might be looking forward to (events, projects, milestones) and the things they are worried about. These might be helpful to remember when you look to engage them again in a few months.
Be generous
The uncertainty of the times we live in mean that people are constantly looking for new and better ways of doing things. There is no shortage of problems that need to be solved. This is especially true for your clients. When it comes to making it through this humanitarian disaster, we are all in it together. Consider ways in which you can be generous to help your clients solve problems, even if they are out of your specific area of influence. Consider how you can be generous with your thought-leadership, information sharing and your wider network. If you hear your client mention they need help with their website, but they come to you for accounting advice. Think about other clients you know that you could potentially connect them with, to help them solve their problem. Just because your business doesn’t provide that service, doesn’t mean you can’t help.
Make their day more enjoyable
This new world has most of us working from home. While the excitement has very truly worn off, there are simple and interesting ways you can make the work-from-home experience more enjoyable for your clients. Sending care packages with favourite snacks and treats could be a simple way to let your clients know you’re thinking of them. There are a large variety of online events happening like live music, comedy and entertainment. Why not ask your clients if they’d like to join you for an evening of taking their mind off work from the comfort of their own home! You’ll have something interesting to talk about and you’d have helped brighten their day.