Creating A Lasting Customer Relationship Through Brutal Honesty

We asked for your blog topic ideas, and this week’s post is straight from you, our subscribers. Here is a summary of what one of our e~colleague shares with us:

I once had a big customer who spoke to me about commitment, openness, and trust. However in the end, they couldn’t make a commitment, they didn’t trust anyone, and if I was open about key issues I got in trouble.

Once I moved on, it was clear to me that my objective of adding a lot of business didn’t mean a hill of beans if at the end of the day I didn’t get paid.

If I could have been brutally honest from the beginning about what my company’s goals were, it’s quite possible we never would have worked together. Had we worked together, we would have had to build in checks and balances from the start. We may have progressed to a lasting relationship.

Never be afraid to ask for what you need as a business…..

Creating lasting customer relationships through brutal honesty requires an environment of trust. Trust is earned early in the development of a relationship, particularly while actively listening to clients. Often for most of us this requires a shift in paradigms to focus on the client’s needs and wants instead of our own. The process of engaging in client centered dialogue and actively listening to the client’s strategies and goals can feel risky.

Risky because, we are checking our ego at the door and relinquish control, and letting someone else drive the meeting. But I find it’s more rewarding to listen, first, and problem solve with our clients once a need is expressed, rather than force a prepackaged 60 second elevator pitch on someone.

When we listen and understand, we feel a connection and our clients become committed to listen to our honest appraisal of their business situations. This commitment leads to lasting relationships, where over time, unexpected business opportunities present themselves.

When trust and honesty exist, both parties move together towards goals. Each person is communicating openly, and the checks and balances of proper documentation are not divisive. Documentation becomes a guide to enhance the relationship.

While developing honest business relationships, it is our job to both actively listen and contribute honest feed back. When we are unable to be honest with a client and yet continue pursuing a client’s project, the costs can be devastating both financially and emotionally. It is said that trust is intuited, not rationalized; if we are not perceiving trust and are not building honest rapport it may be better to move on than to accrue more sunk costs and further risk.

Here are two good books and a blog that I have found insightful which discuss trust in business relationships.

Trust Based Selling: Using Customer Focus and Collaboration to Build Long-Term Relationships by Charles Green

The Trusted Advisor by David Maister

Client Relationships: Honesty is the Best Policy