The Top 3 Ways I Nurture Client Relationships
When scaling a company, a lot of your attention is put on closing deals. Many founders focus primarily on bringing in revenue from all the new clients coming in the door. However, one of the biggest missteps that business owners make is not putting enough energy into nurturing relationships with clients that have been with their company from the beginning.
Hands down, the best energetic investments that your company can make is with the people who have already said “yes” to your company and services. These people likely share your core values, believe in your quality of work, and can ultimately be an incredible source of referral revenue over time. Beyond just monetary value, cultivating these connections will lead to more meaningful relationships and lasting collaborations with people who truly get the value of the work you do.
Here at Fearless Foundry, 60% of our projected revenue for the next year is coming from two areas:
Existing clients that are expanding into new projects or upgrading their service offerings
Referrals that have come from people who've worked with us in the past.
This isn't a coincidence at all. We take a direct, dedicated approach to interact with, acknowledge, and nurture the relationships we've built over time. Throughout my career, I have been impressed by the value that arises when I invest in forming and fostering relationships with clients over time.This rhythm is intentional.
After spending over a decade in software sales, I came to recognize that the relationships I built were the most valuable thing that I had cultivated throughout my career. When I stepped out on my own to start a company, the thing that carried me forward financially in the earliest days were those same relationships. My very first clients were people I had known—some since my career first began—who supported me, believed in me, and were grateful for the work and skills I had to offer. That experience taught me an important lesson about continuing to invest in these relationships. Moments for consistent connection are built into the everyday rhythms of my company.
Here are some of my favorite strategies:
Carve Out Time To Connect
Make a point to connect just for the sake of connecting, and carve out space in your calendar to do so. It can be easy to lose track of connections built over time. With so many Zoom meetings stacked back to back, it can feel like there’s no time to casually chat. We jump quickly to getting down to business and through the agenda, rather than taking time to simply catch up.
When was the last time you went through your list of contacts and reached out to someone simply to reconnect?
I recommend you take time to do this. Every time I make a point to have coffee and catch up with an old connection, I come away from it with new ideas or new opportunities. It also presents the chance to learn how that person’s company has evolved over time, and for me to share what's new with our business. In the past year, our services and team evolved exponentially. We have called in a significant amount of new opportunities by making a point to carve out the time to catch up and connect with the people who have mattered most in my career.
2. Make A Point To Say Thank You
Maybe this comes from the fact that my Mama always made me send cards the second my birthday was over, but I’ve always been a big believer in sending a “thank you” in some form. Whether it's for someone who showed up and taught a workshop for our community, a client who is celebrating a big win, or a friend who has referred one of their friends to us; we always make a point at the Foundry to acknowledge their action and give gratitude in return.
Whether it’s orchids, thank you notes, or custom branded swag—we do it with delight because gift-giving and words of affirmation are our two primary love languages (acts of service is our third, of course). We know that when we shower our connections with love, they're likely to do it in return.
3. Refer Business In Return
Send business to your qualified connections. I'm a huge believer in the karmic flow of business. We’ve been able to cultivate a healthy pipeline while in the midst of this pandemic because we have made a point to always refer our connections and potential opportunities to others in our network.
If the work isn't a fit for us but we know somebody who is, the first thing I do is make an introduction. We believe that entrepreneurs can thrive together, which is why we make an effort to spread financial flow around to others in our network. Every time we take this type of action, it connects our existing network to us in a deeper way. They’re able to see us as a reliable resource. It also builds trust, because our clients will see that we're not going to say “yes” to projects that we aren’t the perfect fit for. By referring work back to our existing connections, we get the opportunity to introduce our networks to each other. So far, it’s never failed—something magical happens when two of our friends or clients collaborate.
We will always nurture our relationships here at the Foundry. Intentional interactions always pay off in some way, whether monetarily or otherwise. There's no doubt in my mind—investing in our existing relationships is one of the best ways we can continue to bolster our businesses and forge a path of entrepreneurial equity that supports all people to thrive and grow.
Madeline Pratt, Founder and CEO
June 4, 2021