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Having good client relationships helps you retain and bring in new clients. Empathy is the key to building those strong client relationships in real and lasting ways.
When you understand your client’s point of view, expectations, and needs, you’re able to build a relationship centered on authenticity and personalized support. That helps your client feel seen, cared for, and valued.
There are five tips to build trust and a strong personal connection with your customers:
Communicate with honesty and warmth.
Create consistency for your clients.
Be an active and engaged listener.
Make yourself accessible.
Set and communicate boundaries.
Communicate with honesty and warmth
Whether your business relationships are happening via email, phone call, or video call, it’s important to strike an approachable tone. Using more casual language adds a personal touch to your client relationships and makes potential clients feel more at ease.
A simple way to add warmth and authenticity to your brand is by revisiting your standard email greeting and sign-off. For example, rather than signing off emails, “Sincerely,” or “Thank you,” you may update it to read, “Talk to you soon!” or “Can’t wait to hear more.”
Being forthcoming about your pricing, how you work, and what you can achieve for a customer upfront helps set the client’s expectations. These moments of authenticity set the foundation for successful customer relationships.
Create consistency for clients
Building streamlined processes into your work keeps things from slipping through the cracks. This means that every client receives the same five-star experience as the one before and each customer knows what to expect.
When thinking about where to automate or streamline your business, consider the following areas.
Intake forms: Create a custom intake form that gets you the information you need to start off on the right foot with potential clients. A good intake form will help you filter out customers who aren’t a great fit and prepare proposals based on the client’s needs.
New client onboarding: Make a strong first impression by giving new clients everything they need to start working with you. The onboarding process might include an FAQ and timelines for your work together.
Client scheduling: Set up a clear system for managing client appointments. Use a tool that automatically sends appointment confirmations and reminders so you don’t have to do it manually.
Check-in emails: Set a schedule to regularly check in or follow up with clients and potential clients. You can create an email template to make this faster. This key bit of relationship management assures customers that their project is a priority for you. This is also a great way to keep clients in the know about progress on long-term projects.
Terms and conditions: Set out clear guidelines for how you operate, including any payment terms or cancellation policies. Naming your terms lets customers know what to expect and how to respect your time too.
Testimonial requests and referrals: Once you finish working with a client, ask them for a testimonial to share. Or offer a referral discount, like 10% off for new clients referred by a previous one.
Automating or streamlining these processes will save you time as a small business owner while helping you maintain strong professional relationships. A seamless experience and communication makes clients feel seen, heard, and respected.
Practice active listening
Active listening is the practice of asking a specific question, repeating back what you’ve heard, and ensuring there’s mutual understanding on both sides. Active listening is a great way to connect with customers, especially if you’re addressing pain points.
This approach to client relations will help you build long-term relationships with your customers. If your customers feel heard even when they’re raising an issue, they’ll trust you with their projects.
Small talk matters
Your clients aren’t just transactions—they’re the heart of your business. Showing an interest in their life and well-being reinforces your relationship and shows them that they’re valued.
Start by asking questions. Do they have any weekend plans? Did they get that job promotion? Just a minute or two of genuine curiosity can establish some openness before you get down to business.
For new and incoming clients, consider adding optional personal questions to your intake form. For example, ask about their favorite travel memory or the last book they read.
By building the light questions directly into the form, you have a topic to open with even if it’s your first meeting. Plus you’ll have information that might help you personalize their project or experience.
Be accessible to your clients
A big part of building successful client relationships is simply keeping your promises. That means showing up to meetings on time, hitting your deadlines, and being responsive during your working hours. This reinforces the client’s trust in you.
One way to share your availability for clients is by posting your unique Acuity link anywhere you have an online presence. From there, clients can easily book time with you.
As part of your onboarding process, you can also share details about when you typically respond to messages and the best ways to contact you.
Maintain your boundaries
Sometimes your clients may push against the boundaries you’ve set. When this happens, showing empathy can mean maintaining your boundaries, finding a compromise, and communicating in a clear and understanding way.
Say a client no-shows for multiple appointments. Instead of immediately ending your relationship with them you could:
Reach out to find out why they missed appointments.
Share your policy for no-show appointments.
Offer to refund one of the missed appointments as a compromise.
This response reinforces your boundaries but leads with empathy for your client. It shows understanding of their situation and communicates that you care about them.
Real and lasting client connections are built over time. These connections are true relationships and just like any other, they require an investment of time, care, and patience. But the more practice you have in building these relationships, the easier it becomes.
With great customer relationships, you’ll see repeat business, referrals, and business growth.
Build strong client relationships with apppointment scheduling
This post was updated on March 28, 2023.