imPRint

My First Year on the Job: Here’s What I’ve Learned about Client Relations

“Client” relations are not my priority. Shocked? Let me explain: I like to focus on what I call “people” relations- “people” relations that just happen to be with a client. The secret about what others call ‘client relations’, is that treating and relating to clients, as if they are the job, could be a recipe for unemployment.

The bottom line is this: clients are people too. And people respond best when they are treated that way, not like a task that has to be completed before 5 p.m. They know when working with them is just another item on the daily to-do list. So what implications does this have in the PR world?

Just like bosses know when an employee is bluffing, the client is also equipped with this talent. I’ve learned that if you don’t know the answer to a question from a client, or if you make a mistake in a meeting, OWN IT. This will earn the respect of your client, because are human and I’m willing to bet that at some point in their life, they have also not known the answer to a question. So, instead of mumbling something that you cross your fingers the client decides not to hear, admit that you have no idea, BUT that you will do what you can to obtain the answer. Yes, now you have shown that you respect them enough to be honest with them - and this builds credibility.

To illustrate ‘people’ relations, I’ll draw from my days as a swim instructor. I was trying to teach an adult (who from his fear of the water had presumably never been swimming before), the dynamics and technical aspects of swimming. I was hoping to prove to him that as long as he did certain things, he would be fine and at least float. In talking with any non-swimmer, don’t be surprised that this knowledge comes as absolutely no reassurance to them. My ‘client,’ though he had mastered the breathing and the technique during his first lesson, had to be reassured. In fact, no significant progress had been made beyond that first day. What was missing?

The problem was that even though he knew what his ability was in the water, he didn’t quite know whether to trust me in case something went wrong. He had every right to feel that way because I had yet to relate to him as a person. I realized I had spent one lesson too many on the statistics of swimming and needed to be investing my time in getting to know him to learn why he was afraid to let go of the edge.

We scratched the water time for the day and instead sat by the pool. Imagine my surprise when he shared with me that a negative experience in the water as a child: he had been so bothered by the water in his eyes and the irritation that followed because of the chlorine, that he never wanted to open his eyes underwater again. Now I understood - asking him to let go of the edge and put his eyes underwater, was like asking him to cross the street with his eyes closed. One pair of goggles later, he amazed me by swimming the length of the pool by himself.

It’s safe to say whenever I relate to a client, I approach it in such a way that I’m striving to earn their respect and show them that it matters to me that they’re a person, not a paycheck. I also learn to listen for when and for what they might need a ‘pair of goggles.’ Hopefully when they see that I’m relating to them as a person, they’ll let go of the wall and the real strokes can be made towards providing the solid pubic relations they deserve.

So the next time you pick up the phone to dial clients and find they have an extra minute in their day, try asking them how they’ve been before asking if the release you just sent is okay to go over the wire. You may be surprised – clients may just start relating back to you.

-Taryn

posted by The Ardell Group @ 2:56 PM