When it comes to client relationships, there is nothing greater than having your freelance clients be with you for the long haul. In traditional business practices, client relationships are managed by marketing departments or account managers.
But about if you are running your own freelance business? Then it’s just you with no account managers to fall back on. How can you provide extra value to your clients without costing yourself a lot of time or money?
Here are four ways you can give your freelance clients extra value so you can help nurture those business relationships.
Provide Amazing Customer Service
Amazing customer service is critical to any relationship or business exchange. The better service you provide, the more your client will want to stay with you over the long-term.
Providing amazing customer service can be as easy as letting your client know you are there for them and will support them in any way you can. If the client feels you are in their corner, they will work to make you feel the same. Always ask what you can do for them or how you can help. Check in with them regularly to make sure they are happy with your work and ask if you can provide other services to help them grow their business even more. This also means more work and more money for your business.
You should also let your clients know if you plan to take time off for vacations, travel, holidays, etc. so they aren’t wondering why you aren’t answering their inquiries. Clear communication is key to amazing customer service.
Grow Your Personal Relationship
You already have rapport with your clients, so work to grow it. Get to know your client. It’s okay to ask about their family and their hobbies. The greater the relationship is the healthier your connection with them.
If they have a loved one pass away or if they had a business deal fall south, mourn with them. If they celebrate 50 years in business or have a new child, celebrate with them by sending a gift.
The appropriate boundaries should be set, but don’t get so guarded that you lose your connection to them. Remember, your clients are people too!
Go the Extra Mile
Throw your client a bone. If you know they are looking for a new pathway or market and you stumble or think of a great opportunity let them know about it. This may take a little more of your time but it will pay off for you as your client knows you have their best interest in mind. You can even promote their business through your channels or reference them to someone who could use their services. This is has paid off big time to help me grow my business.
Leverage Your Own Social Power to Grow Their Business
One easy way I offer extra value to my freelance writing clients is by offering to share my published work across my social media channels several times. This helps leverage my followers to get extra traffic for my clients’ websites, products, and services. It only takes me a few minutes to share my work on social media, and it’s a win-win as I’ve gotten new clients and syndication deals for myself by sharing it too.
Value doesn’t have necessarily to be numerical or statistical. Value is what you dedicate to your client to show them you understand their business and their goals. Working to promote that value and build relationships will pay off in the end as they will want to work with you more, and they might even refer you to their contacts. Adding extra value for your clients can go a long way and it doesn’t have to cost you a lot of time or money.
