Account Management: How To Build Relationships With Clients

As an account manager, you’re going to be managing a lot of different clients. However, it’s important to build trust with each and every one of them. Remember, you may be talking to many clients, but each one of them is only talking to you. 

Building relationships with clients is an incredibly important way to grow your company in the long term. Research shows that customers who are emotionally connected to a brand are 52% more valuable than just ‘highly satisfied’ customers.

However, when you have so many accounts, connecting with each one on a personal basis can be difficult. How do you go about building relationships with your clients? Here are five ways to do that.

If you’re looking to elevate your key account management skills even further, consider the Account Management course from Pareto, which will supply you with the skills to effectively manage accounts. For now, read through our tips for building relationships with your clients. 

Respond to complaints

As an account manager, you’re the first contact for your clients, meaning you’ll be the first person to hear of any problems they are having. To build relationships with clients, ensure that lines of communication are always open, even when something goes wrong. Responding to your clients’ concerns or complaints in an empathetic and understanding way is an easy way to build trust and respect.  

However, open communication isn’t just limited to when things are going wrong, but also when things are going right. Remember to check in with your clients regularly to show that you care about them. 

Remember your clients are real people

When you’re managing so many accounts, it can be easy to see each of your clients as an impersonal business asset. However, keep in mind that each of your clients is a unique individual with different needs and desires. If you build a personal relationship with each of your customers they are more likely to recommend your business to others.

Stay in the know 

Go the extra mile for your existing clients by keeping up to date with the latest trends in each of their business areas. Not only will this allow you to provide more personalised advice and strategies to each client, but it will also show that you care about their business and are willing to work hard for them. 

Be transparent

As important as keeping lines of communication open is making sure that you can be transparent and honest with your clients – even if it’s something that they don’t want to hear. To build relationships with clients, be open about their strategies and business goals. This will prompt them to put even more trust in you as you prove your skills and knowledge. 

Transparency is also about knowing when to admit your failings. It may be uncomfortable to tell a client that you’ve made a mistake, but owning up to it and showing how you’ve dealt with it in a transparent manner will lead to better relationships in the long term. 

It’s not always about business

Though it’s tempting to remain highly professional and impersonal all the time, when it comes to building relationships with clients, this might not work. While it’s true that they are coming to you in a professional setting, personal relationships aren’t built just on work. Ask about how their weekend was at the beginning of a business call, and start to build a strong relationship with your clients outside of work. 

Pareto has 25 years of experience in placements and training. If you’re looking for a way to improve your key account management skills, our dedicated training course is the ideal choice. Designed for account managers of any experience level, our course covers actionable ways to up-sell accounts and build relationships with clients.

Find out how employee retention could be the key to long-lasting, good client relationships by downloading our insight on 'How to retain employees in a challenging market'.