When you start working with clients, there are some important things that you should keep in mind when interacting with them.

First and foremost, you want a professional relationship with your clients. Even when working with your friends, you should always present yourself in a professional manner because this let’s them know that you take your work and business seriously.

Meeting with the client for the first time

When meeting with a client for the first time you should bring your portfolio or a demo reel of work relating to what the client reached out to you for. Don’t bring too much of your work to this meeting. It is about them. You just want to assure them you are the right person for the job that they need done. You will want to go over the needs and concerns the client has and write everything down so later you can sit down and give them a good estimate for the things they want. But remember, this is your first face to face meeting with the client you don’t want to have your face buried in paper, pay attention to them and just jot important things down.

Do not give a price for your service at the first meeting. This locks you into the price, and asking for more money for the job after already giving the client a price may end up with you losing the opportunity to work with them. You want to be able to make money while charging a good price so never give a ballpark price.

Once you have come up with a price call the client, and set up a date for a meeting to further discuss what they will be charged for and the prices in which the services will cost. Make sure you have a thorough breakdown of what services will be provided written out. If they are not able to meet, ask if you can set up a time to talk on the phone about the price. You never want to do this over an email because then they may not call you back and then you lost a client. Talking over the phone or meeting in person gives them the opportunity to understand where all the costs are coming from and makes them less likely to walk away.

When making a bid make sure you are flexible. Your expectations and the clients expectations need to be listed out and understood between both parties before signing a contract.

Communication is key when interacting with clients. Keeping an open mind about their expectation will be essential to your success. With good communication skills, you will build a better relationship with your clients, and they will most likely spread word of you to others. Which will generate more business for you in the long run. Word of mouth is what people trust and go off of. Make sure you always achieve to make a great first, and lasting impression to keep clients coming back to you for your business’s provided services.

Updates

When working on the client's project make sure you send previews or updates to show them that you are working diligently on their project. This will help keep them from constantly contacting you before you have the finished project. This also keeps your client happy and excited to see what else is to come. Posting previews on social media is good traffic for your name this allows other prospective clients to see your work and tagging the client allows their friends and family to see your work and consider you in the future.

Meeting Deadlines

When you set a deadline with a client, it is crucial that you meet it. If there is an issue which causes a delay with the deadline, make sure to inform the client immediately, and explain why the due date cannot be met.

Sources

http://www.cio.com/article/2986954/customer-relationship-management/8-ways-to-effectively-communicate-with-clients.html?page=2

Specs Howard Online Training video.