Building long and lasting relationships in any business is essential to ensure the success of an enterprise in the long run. That’s why, engaging with your clients in a good and professional way is of utmost importance on the business side of things, especially in contracting.
These days customer loyalty is hard to come by, and that’s not without good reason. Anybody can start a contracting business but that does not mean everyone can deliver their promise of great service at a reasonable cost.
So in this article, we’ll be discussing how we can earn the trust of our clients and guarantee that they will continue their business with us for a lifetime.
Build rapport from the get-go.
Small talk and building rapport are some of the soft skills that any businessman must either learn or possess in order to get anywhere in the industry. But we have to understand that building rapport isn’t an exact science and is not something we can push on other people. However, it starts simple and is a matter of common sense. You don’t have to bring gifts and offer discounts that will cause you to lose money or go out of business just to be “friends” with your clients. You can afford professional courtesy in all your dealings but not to that degree.
So how do you build rapport? Start small. Show genuine interest in your clients’ needs and do everything in your power to accommodate their needs. Your clients came to you for a reason, so you are expected to help them out to the best of your abilities.
Practice good communication.
The key to building a good relationship with basically anyone in the world is by establishing good communication. This is especially true in businesses because it’s imperative to keeping your clients from switching to another provider. You need to be clear on the terms of your contract and what entails your service. Will you be doing simple repairs? Will it take a week or an entire month to finish the project?
But apart from giving regular updates on your progress, you should also be able to keep your initial projections on costs and timeline for you to earn your client’s trust and continued patronage. If not, you must be able to present a clear and valid reason for being late or for incurring additional costs in the project.
One of the best reasons why residential or commercial clients hire contractors is for them to not be too bothered by the repairs and construction issues because they’re expecting a professional to handle the job. So be a pro and deliver.
Establish your credibility.
Speaking of professionalism, another good way to be trusted by your client is by making sure that you are a certified contractor and contractor insurance in your service area. This means that if you are from Oregon for example, you should be getting a contractor’s license from Oregon before taking on any clients.
Stay organized.
You and your clients will definitely thank you later if you have neatly organized filing systems for all of your construction projects. First, this will benefit you when you’re doing your taxes or when you want to collate all your best projects for a cool portfolio. Then your clients will also appreciate you having a good filing system because this will help them to figure out your workflow and help them decide to hire you for your next projects.
Staying organized is beneficial for both you and your clients, and not just for gaining trust. As a general rule, this is a good practice that will keep you on your toes and allow you to see your progress after all your years of hard work.
The Bottomline: Gaining trust in your work is not easy but it is also not impossible. The only thing you need to remember is not to over-promise and take on too many projects that you cannot give the best quality of work that your clients deserve.
