My recent trip to a new client in Hull, United Kingdom, reminded me of a Harvard Business Review management tip that is hard to argue. It conveyed three ways to start your client relationship right to ensure success:
- Make an accurate first impression. Make them feel comfortable, but also set clear expectations about what you can and can’t offer. Don’t oversell your skills.
- Be responsive. React to client requests quickly or you risk giving the impression you aren’t really listening. If you really need them to wait, tell them why and offer a next step.
- Keep up the pace. If you don’t continue that responsiveness, your client may wonder what’s wrong. Consistency implies stability, and clients always want to feel like they’re in good hands.
Accomplishing those goals right off the bat will help set the foundation for a longstanding partnership. With a repeat business rate of over 90%, partnerships are something that our life sciences practice values and preaches every day.
Last week, in my travels to the client – one of the largest consumer products companies in the world – I experienced a great example of the kind of synergy that can occur when true partnership is at the forefront of project work.
While the week included the expected meetings to complete the configuration specification for a new pharmacovigilance system (Oracle Argus Safety), it also included many team-building lunches, dinners, and large English breakfasts. After all, food is a vital part of any healthy relationship!
But, each meal was about more than just food – it was a chance to communicate and connect on a deeper level than a simple customer service paradigm. Any experienced consultant will tell you that these are the moments to be seized. While delivering on your promises is absolutely vital for client satisfaction, true and lasting partnerships require human-to-human connection and collaboration.
You see? A trip to Hull and back is actually a good thing! It turned out to be a reminder to us all to be prepared to eat up any time the opportunity presents itself.
To learn more about Perficient’s life sciences practice, please click here.
