If you haven’t seen the recent movie or HBO documentary on James Brown, you should check it out. He made me think about these top ten client relation tips:
- Treat all clients with respect and dignity.
- Try to understand the stress that our clients are under, especially when they are upset.
- At the same time, do not tolerate verbal abuse from clients. Respect works both ways.
- Keep boundaries. Clients need you to have an objective view, not become their best friend.
- Clients don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.
- Be honest in all things, at all times. Keeps you out of trouble.
- Building good relationships are the foundation blocks of success.
- Keep the client informed about what you are doing.
- Be prepared and be thinking about going to trial from the first day. Cases settle more often and you get better results when you are prepared.
- Think about James Brown. He was the “hardest working man in show business” for a reason. He gave it everything he had, and it showed.