By: Julie LaForce, Account Service
The relationship an ad agency has with its clients is crucial, but how do you build those relationships? It must be professional, but also friendly, but not too friendly because it needs to mainly be professional…It’s tricky and confusing! It is difficult to find the perfect balance, especially since each client is so different.
Working in account service, the main focus of my job is building and maintaining relationships with clients. As I previously stated, each client is different, and finding out how to handle each on an individual basis is where the account service team gets to use their intuitive nature and people-pleasing skills.
After a few meetings with a client, just like any other relationship, you can sense the communication style that he/she prefers. A client may enjoy joking around a bit, talking about pop culture before the meeting begins, or the client may want to strictly stick to the agenda and get down to business; forgo any chitchat/friendly banter. From there the account service team can tailor the way they communicate to the client and build that relationship.
For example, if a client is inclined to talk about personal life, hobbies or current events, the relationship can be furthered by bringing up such topics and being prepared to discuss them. This may require doing a little research on the latest playoff game or new car model to start a conversation about what they enjoy outside of work.
Go the extra mile to get to know your clients, and be available to them in multiple forms of communication—you want to be easy to reach and prompt with responses.
Each client is different, and the way to build a meaningful and long-lasting relationship is to tailor the way you communicate to fit each client’s preference.
