Client satisfaction and retention are the key metrics for a successful integrated marketing agency. Acquiring the first ten clients is not easy; retaining them is equally challenging. Nevertheless, it is imperative to hold on to your first ten clients. These clients and their work can be considered as your case studies in the making. They will build your portfolio for acquiring more clients.
With the first few clients, there is much more scope to achieve excellence. Unlike your future clients, they don’t come with a baggage of expectations with stringent deliverables. They give you more room for creativity and experimentation to come up with new ideas and implement them. Even if you fail, the learnings in the process will help you to go a step ahead for future campaigns. Making the most out of this experience will be vital in boosting your business. Being involved in each process from conception to execution will be a great source of learning in your journey as an entrepreneur. Beyond work, these clients also serve as a base for nurturing relationships. They serve as valuable references for your work and determine the course of fostering long-term relationships.
Here are the top tips for retaining your first ten clients for the long haul.
Ensure you understand their business goals fully: Understanding the company, their vision and business goals is a formidable step to kickstart their brand journey. It is also essential to break down their success metrics into KPIs to be achieved within a predefined timeline. In some cases, clients might not be aware of suitable metrics for measuring the success of marketing campaigns. The onus is on the integrated marketing agency to help them understand their significance. It is essential to think of yourself as an extended arm of the company and work collectively to achieve their business goals. It will also build a loyal and robust relationship between both parties.
Communication is vital: Have an open line of communication with your client. Spend time with them to know them better, their expectations, establish marketing goals and KPIs. Make the most of meetings by understanding their thought process instead of merely sharing work-in-progress and status updates. Nevertheless, it does not imply that you do not share regular updates. Keeping clients informed at every step will help you manage their expectations early on and gain their trust.
Connect with them on a personal level: Consulting is a form of customer service. You may be skilled in your craft but connecting with your clients on a personal level is key to retaining them. Empathy and reciprocity play an essential role in nurturing your relationship with your clients. It may sound silly to remember their birthdays, anniversaries and kids’ names, but it pays dividends in the long run.
Showcase your achievements: While it is crucial not to lose sight of business goals and strive for excellence, it is imperative to showcase your accomplishments regularly. It is here SOPs assume importance. Weekly calls, monthly reports and regular meetings must be utilised as platforms to showcase what tangible difference your campaigns have made to their brand. Also, have well-defined metrics to measure your performance and link them to your client’s business goals. You should be able to demonstrate how your service is adding value to your clients’ businesses, and there should be a mechanism to quantify that value.
Temper your expectations: Stretching yourself to deliver beyond what you had initially promised is the best way to retain your clients. Nevertheless, it is essential to consider the pricing aspect of additional deliverables. The key here is to promise what you can realistically deliver and deliver more if your bandwidth permits.
While keeping these factors in mind, you should align your team with clients’ business goals. Think of your agency and client’s business as one entity to drive tangible business outcomes for clients. Remember, your progress is invariably linked to that of your clients.
The article is authored by Khushboo Sharma, Founder of Zero Gravity Communications.
