5 Simple Ways to Boost Client Relationships and Earnings

Essential tips for maintaining long-term clients and establishing a good work-life balance

If you’re anything like me, you’ve devoured The 4-Hour Workweek multiple times, and you’re working out your plan to have the best work-life balance you can possibly attain.

The main takeaway from the book that resonated with me is to retain the 20% of clients that give you 80% of your income and let go of the clients who are giving you more work without the extra financial incentive.

Great! However, if you apply this principle and actually cut ties with some of your clients, you need to ensure you keep the remaining ones very happy. This doesn’t take away from the work-life balance that you want to attain because it is both more time-effective and cost-effective to keep current clients happy rather than spend more money on gaining new clients. It’ll increase your chance to create your personal ‘Four-Hour Workweek’.

I currently have two small businesses (photography and spray-tan business) and I can say that implementing some very small steps has ensured I have long-lasting, repeat clients, who will increase their spend with me.

Make them feel individual

You might have only one or two ongoing clients or you might have many that come and go constantly depending on the work you need to do with them. No matter how many clients you take on, always make them feel as if they are individuals.

The reason? All people like to feel special.

For example, I recently took on a school as a photography client. I created a highly comprehensive profile that listed all of the fine details I could find. From my research, I found out that the school was highly involved in volleyball, and that they had won the state championships in each division in 2019; they even had photos with our state premier.

This information had nothing to do with the job, which was to take photos of the new science building for the school website. In fact, I knew nothing about volleyball prior to getting the role, so I had to research a little to have some background knowledge.

Talking to the principal about volleyball made his eyes light up and we had a highly engaged chat about the sport. He was thrilled that I showed interest in something the school held in high regard, so much so, that I was able to upsell and take photos of the 2021 volleyball teams on the same day.

Now, some people will say that it is a waste of time doing the extra research that is irrelevant to the job. However, I disagree. Anytime you can show interest in a client’s passions, you are showing that you care about them as individuals, leading to a potential ongoing arrangement. Besides, it only took me 10 minutes of research to find out the fact about the school, and I was able to convert that into a bigger job while I was already there.

How to do it:

Make a client profile that is highly detailed and lists items beyond what is necessary for the job. Use Google and ask questions.
Find out what they like. For example, do they support a sporting team or are they keen advocates for the arts? Do they have a family? Where were they born? What other information can you find out?
Use this information as a point of discussion. Show interest in the things your clients like.
Keep it professional but personal.

Maintain excellent communication standards

Communication is key for longevity in any type of relationship, and the client relationship is no different.

If you are completing ongoing work for a client, why not email regular updates? They don’t have to be very long.

Some of my photography jobs are very big and it takes a long time to edit. My clients don’t mind waiting several weeks for the final product; They like my quality of work and I send weekly update emails every Friday. The emails simply contain a couple of sentences to say what was completed that week and what I will be working on for their project next week. It only takes me 30 minutes to email all of my clients, but they are very appreciative, they don’t mind that it takes a while to receive the finished product, and they are more likely to book me again for future jobs because they love communication.

Always be very transparent when it comes to client work. They want to know you are on top of any projects they’ve given you. They want to be secure that they’ve chosen the right business to work with.

The purpose of this step is to communicate any information the client might want before they’ve had the chance to ask for it.

How to do it:

For each client work, keep a digital running list of all the achieved and upcoming tasks.
Copy and paste achieved and upcoming tasks in a weekly email that you can send to your clients.

Embrace criticism

As humans, we find it very difficult to hear and accept criticism. Also, as humans, it is likely that we will make mistakes every now and then. It happens.

So when a client is unhappy with your work, take the time to hear them out. Find out what is wrong and really listen to their concerns. Also, thank them for contacting you with criticism.

In his book, How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie talks about the importance of owning mistakes in order to improve relationships. All you need to do is make a heartfelt apology for your mistake, and take the steps to rectify it immediately.

I once missed a deadline to return the enhanced images to a client. I knew the deadline was urgent because she needed the photos printed by a particular day, but I had taken on so much work I couldn’t complete it on time. So I called her about it as soon as I realised I wouldn’t get them finished on time and apologised. I then promised that I would finish the work and get the photos printed myself and delivered for her, so she wouldn’t need to worry about it. Well, she was so happy with the outcome that she still left a great review online and booked me again for another job later this year.

Mistakes happen and your clients will most likely be understanding when you own up to them and take active steps to rectify the problem.

How to do it:

If you see you’ve made a big mistake before the client has noticed, don’t cover it up. Rather, call them ahead of time and explain the situation.
If a client has a complaint, honestly take the time to listen to them and apologise, without making excuses.
Find a way to rectify the situation. Go above and beyond to ensure a solution is made.

Don’t forget the tiny details

You want to be able to stand out above the competition so make sure you don’t ignore all the tiny details in the work. It could be how you package the final product. Or perhaps you are following up to ensure that your product works well.

I always deliver my photos to clients on a USB that looks like a crystal and it is placed in a wooden box. Yes, it is a bit extra, but I want my clients to look at the extra details with delight. I want them to make an exclamation about how amazing it is. I’ve bought all the USBs and boxes in bulk from Aliexpress, and it has not been a great expense. It does, however, package the final product nicely.

For my spray tanning business, I have loyalty cards that I give to my most regular clients. The cards are very pretty and my clients get a free spray tan every time they pay for ten. It’s just a little something extra.

How to do it:

Look at your final product and research ways to improve it. Compare your final product against the competition
Ask yourself how you can make your product stand out more

Thank your client in a unique but relevant way

Never forget to thank your client whenever you have finished work for them, or at the end of the year if they are an ongoing client.

However, rather than an email or just saying ‘thank you’ in person, see if you can do it in a more unique and personalised way. For example, when I submit the final digital photos to the school in a few weeks, I will also add in a handwritten thank you letter and free prints of the volleyball teams that they can hang in the school. Although they only paid for the digital photos, adding in the prints

In another example, I give a small gift to my regular spray tanning clients for their birthdays. This isn’t expensive because I made a bulk order of bath and body products that I keep in storage and I can claim them back to the business. I handwrite a small card when I give them to clients. These gifts are personalised and are relevant to the business.

You can also thank your customers who purchase your digital content by providing freebies. If someone buys your course or e-book, why not send them some free extra content a month later to make them feel special?

How to do it:

Think of unique gifts that are relevant to your business.
Order gifts in bulk and claim them as a business expense to save money.
Ensure gifts are a surprise.

Final thoughts

When you run a business, customer satisfaction is crucial to your longevity. Customers are more likely to convert to long-term clients when they feel looked after.

By looking after and showing consideration to my clients, I have been able to increase my income from both of my small businesses. And, like what Tim Ferris said in his book, I am now picky with the clients I retain. I don’t retain clients who waste my time or don’t contribute to 80% of my income because I’ve been able to cultivate such strong relationships with the few clients who really appreciate me and my work.

By implementing these small tips, you will have clients that will be satisfied with your business. Remember to really look after the clients who contribute 80% of your revenue because you will be able to increase business with them.