Customer Relations. It’s a term we use a lot in our industry, and one that is often underestimated. Our clients are the reason for everything we do. It can often be a daunting task – keeping the current workload moving, plus networking, and reaching out to new or potential clients, along with continuing to meet the needs and connecting with current or past clients. It can be seriously daunting!
One of my favorite parts of my position is the client relationship management piece. It allows me to reach out periodically for check-ins, follow-ups, or even the opportunity to send thank you gifts, baby gifts, care packages, etc. Life happens to all of us, and if this pandemic has taught us anything, it is that we’re all human, and life is incredibly short. Work is absolutely important, but we should never forget the human connection that makes it all possible. Our ability to build strong relationships with our clients, is how we forge trust, so that if the sh*t hits the fan, they know we’ll be in their corner!
One of the easiest ways to meet new clients is by taking every opportunity to network. Networking is literally about connecting with people and building relationships. Think of it as the dating of the professional world! New and potential clients are hugely important, but your current and past clients are even more vital. If you don’t continue to tend the garden, the crops will die! It is so much easier to nurture these relationships than to build new ones. It can take YEARS of continuous communication to build client trust before they will work with you, and it almost never happens on the first meeting. We have clients whom we have invested 4 or 5 years of time, getting to know, taking them to lunch or dinner, sending marketing collateral, connecting at conferences, etc. before we ever get a project with them. I promise you, it is worth the investment, because these clients are usually the big fish, and they are almost always very loyal once that bond is built.
I would also suggest investing in a really good CRM (Customer Relationship Management) platform. There are tons out there – here are just a few.
Insightly
Hubspot
Salesforce
NetSuite
Pipedrive
A good CRM will help you maintain your client database, stay organized, and will allow you to create intentional interaction on a scheduled basis.
In closing I would say, that client/customer relations is a piece of your business that is always worth your time, and will nearly always pay off in some way. We often use the phrase, “Teamwork Makes the Dream Work”, and there has never been a statement that is truer for the construction industry as this one. No one finds success alone, and if you can find opportunities to share leads with your clients/potential clients, even when that lead will do nothing for you, then you will always find success.
—
This article was written by Kimberly Talbot from Lochsa Engineering -
Kimberly Talbot is the Marketing and Client Relationship Manager for Lochsa Engineering, Idaho. Kim is a hard-working, enthusiastic, people connector and business generator. She has been working in the design and construction industry for over 5 years and has a wealth of knowledge about connecting and nurturing relationships to make people feel valued and supported. HINT - She genuinely cares about her network & connections and is always her authentic self!
Lochsa Engineering is a team of highly motivated professionals that strive to create greener, smarter, and more sustainable structures. They seek out new opportunities, collaborations and challenges so that they are continually evolving personally and professionally to remain at the top of their industry. Their engineers and principals hold Professional Engineer and/or Structural Engineering licenses in all 50 United States, as well as Puerto Rico, and the Canadian Provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, and Saskatchewan.