Keeping Your Clients Happy
Next week, I have a mastermind with my private clients. Most of my clients stay with me for at least three years. Some stay on for five or seven plus years. And one of the things that I love about being a coach is exactly that – working with people over a number of years and getting to really see the full cycle of their evolution.
I know that many of you out there are coaches or consultants, so I wanted to write to you about client retention and give you some tips for creating happy client relationships.
One of my biggest tips is to never take a client for granted – no matter how long they’ve been with you.
In fact, I believe that your longest-standing clients should be treated with the utmost respect. Personally, I know what it feels like to be taken for granted as a member of a program – to not necessarily feel important and special because it almost seems like people just expect you to stick around.
But I believe that, if you truly want client retention, you must make sure that your longest-standing clients know that you respect them completely and love them all the more for choosing you over and over again.
And with that, I’m going to offer you five ways to make sure that your clients feel respected and appreciated. Let’s get into it!
Number one: take the time to send them a very personal welcome gift when they renew each year – something that evokes your relationship with them and shows them that you’re actively thinking about their needs and wants.
Number two: if they’re struggling for any reason during a coaching session or in their business overall, and you know that they could really use a bit of extra time, give them that extra time. Set up extra sessions with them, get on the phone with them for a session in between their current sessions – show them that they matter to you and you’re invested in their success.
Number three: remember things that are important to them and/or their lives – whether that’s an upcoming family event, their birthday, or a hobby they might mention on a call. For example, last month, one of my private clients mentioned that her partner would be getting surgery the following week, so I made sure to send her a text on the day of.
You might even send a gift or flower arrangement to a client struggling with familial medical problems to make sure you’re showing up for them and remind them that you care.
Number four: understand that your clients are going to change over time – especially your long-standing clients.
Sometimes they’ll need you to be compassionate and understanding, and sometimes they’ll want you to celebrate and get excited with them. Sometimes they’ll need you to give them a kick in the pants to motivate them to do something they’re uncomfortable doing.
Other times, they’re going to need you to really actively listen and be a sounding board more than a voice of reason.
It’s so important to understand how you can shift between these different voices in order to build a relationship where your client feels like they can stay with you forever because you’re meeting all of their various needs.
And finally, number five: make sure that you yourself are always learning and growing. I make sure that I’m constantly taking some sort of course on my personal growth and development, getting my own mindset coaching, and/or getting my own business coaching.
I want my clients to feel like there’s always more to learn from me – no matter how long they’ve known me – because I’m always growing and expanding, which gives them the opportunity to grow and expand themselves.
I’m sure there’s a lot more I could add here about retaining clients, but these five tips are a great place to start.
So this week, if you work with clients, I invite you to think about how you can make sure they stay happy with you for year upon year to come.
Ask yourself: What processes do you have in place to encourage and inspire client retention in your own business? Is there anything that you could change or shift to make clients want to stay with you longer?
In my experience, my longest client-coach relationships have been some of the most rewarding – both for my clients and for myself as a coach.
Essentially, make sure to show each and every one of your clients that they are IMPORTANT to you!
