According to a Stanford University longitudinal study, more than 70% of relationships end during the first year. Anyone who’s ever spent a significant amount of time in the dating world is probably not amazed by these stats, but what stands out from the research is how fast those breakup rates diminish over time.

Forward to five years in a relationship, the yearly risk of a breakup falls to approximately 20% for unmarried couples. The percentage for married people is a mere 3%. Based to the research’s lead sociologist, “the longer a couple stays together, the more time and effort they have jointly invested in the relationship, and the more bound together they are”

These relationships are mirrored in the business world in a range of ways. Getting fresh clients for the company is another thing. However, keeping them can be difficult. Negligence and unawareness in properly managing relationships will drain all the money and dedicated efforts into getting the client.

Developing great business relationships necessitates better systems, diligent investments, and good software to monitor everything – especially for agencies that must do this with multiple customers at once. With effective customer relationships, anyone can build long-term agreements that benefit everyone involved.

These business relationships, like a fruitful loving relationship, necessitate real effort from both businesses and clients. With that in mind, here are some unconventional approaches to better managing relationships with clients.

7 Client Relationship Management Ideas

1. Make the client a part of the goal-setting process.

During the goal-setting process, demonstrate the company’s dedication to the customer relationship instantly. It doesn’t mean clients want to turn over their goal setting and advancing plans to improve their business even if they asked the company for solutions.

In the medical field, the significance of cooperative goal-setting is perfectly illustrated. This procedure has been “repeatedly linked to improved outcomes… as a component of high-quality care”.

These effective collaborations were recently identified by healthcare focus organizations as a caring relationship in which healthcare providers are learning and listening from each other, exchange ideas, adhere to a measurable objective, and encourage goal accomplishment.

Isn’t that the way businesses and clients must set goals together? When both parties are cooperative in the goal-setting phase, there will be better results that are fully designed to meet their needs. 

2. Identify a customers’ needs before they are even aware they exist.

Whatever role people play in the client’s relationship, it is mainly the business’ responsibility to address their specific problems and seek ways to help them achieve their goals. The issue is that clients are not always aware of what they require. 

They may recognize that they are having difficulties, but they may not distinguish the root cause of their company’s failure to meet its objectives. The business can establish trust and achieve better outcomes by understanding the clients and acknowledging problems before they arise.

To make a positive impression on the clients, do not wait for them to be piled up with problems. Be proactive once more. Take the lead and deliver a solution to the client when a way is identified to do better. Anticipate what the clients will require in the long term, demonstrating expertise and commitment.

3. Do not let the customer approach the business with queries.

It does not imply that clients’ cannot ask questions. That’s a surefire recipe for trouble. It indicates that those customer relationships are all about proactive communication – and in a business partnership, the business owner should take the lead.

Customers should not have to send emails and then wait so many days for a reply. Whenever there is a communication breakdown, it is easy for customers to believe the company is unconcerned about their needs. It can also lead to misunderstandings and, in some cases, resentment. Sounds like a bad dating situation.

Rather be diligent by communicating with the clients and keeping them posted on the progress. It is becoming so adept at keeping the clients “in the loop” that they no longer need to inquire about updates or details because they’re already provided.

So how can businesses make themselves more accessible to clients?

Communication platforms like Slack and Trello are excellent for staying in touch and project management collaboratively. They enable users to reach out and resolve questions or concerns before the customer does.

4. Never practice pettiness.

Pettiness is never a wise strategy, either in business or dating. A customer may not be the kind of person a business owner wants to spend the weekends. However, it does not mean to ignore their calls or speak down to them. These actions will only harm the business in the longer term, making it more difficult to seek new customers.

As per TIME Magazine, even the pettiness of paying attention to minor details affects relationships and how people view each other.  Researchers discovered that petty attitudes made people appear less approachable, even when the actions helped others objectively.

It makes no difference if the business produces excellent results. Treating clients without respect and not fixating on trivial matters might not make them stay around in the long run.

5. Make an actual phone call

At first, an email appears to be the most convenient method to interact with clients. And besides, being able to write a message and then assess it before hitting ‘send’ can avoid errors and save time.

Customers value the more personal connection of a phone call – and there are several circumstances where a phone call is more successful than a lengthy email chain. It is believed that no one interacts through the phone anymore. Statistics show that this is not the case, particularly when making a significant decision.

According to a Google study of its click-to-call services, 61 percent of people like to call the company once they are ready to buy, with a large proportion stating the need for an instant answer or to speak with a person as their key motivators. A phone conversation can often solve issues quickly and illustrate a more personalized touch to the clients.

6. When needed, place the onus on the customer.

When developing an advertising campaign or assisting a client with their inventory and shipment requirements — it’s unlikely to succeed if the client is disconnected from the processes. 

To succeed, the clients will probably have to do some work themselves, since there are certain items and details that the company cannot obtain without their assistance.

More often, organization projects are stymied by the need to ask for clients to send assets. 

Worse, continuously pressuring clients for such resources can affect the relationship, causing further issues. As a result, when people ask the client a question, be courteous and make things as simple as possible. 

Duda, a website builder that allows organizations to immediately gather information from their customers by auto-importing assets from current URLs and facilitating forms for posting original files, is a perfect example of a platform that can do this well.

This configuration vastly simplifies what the customer must do, increasing the likelihood that they will react favorably and instantly when an order from their agency arrives. Google Drive or Dropbox for file collaboration or fundamental data sharing is a great tool as well. This simple, easy-to-use software makes it simple to share documents with clients.

7. Be open and honest, even if it is unpopular.

Everyone gets things wrong. Despite the valiant efforts, businesses may lack support for the clients in meeting the planned collaborative goals. It can be enticing to highlight these flaws out of the threat of losing a client. However, choosing to be deceitful, the consequences can be worse.

No one wants to do business with a person who conceals the truth to protect their reputation or increase sales. Because of the infamous Equifax data breach, the company’s trust and stocks have plummeted due to the business’ long delay in disclosing the information.

By failing to disclose the data earlier, the company exposed itself to lawsuits, legal investigations, and the loss of significant contracts. Even as timely transparency would not have prevented all of these repercussions, a more truthful strategy could have mitigated the harm. 

For the most part, providing the clients the actual scenario and honesty can spark their best interests at heart and be on board. An everlasting relationship necessitates considerable time and effort, both for people searching for romance and for businesses finding quality clients.

Even though previously mentioned suggestions may not be the one that comes to mind when managing client interactions, they can make a world of difference in developing a ‘marriage’ that lasts.