There’s a reason clients choose to do business with you over someone else. They’ve met you and grown to know, like, and trust you to the point they’re willing to invest money into your product or service. Whether it is document management or another product, the first way to solidify trust with new clients is clear communication.
The work doesn’t stop at the sale.
To build and maintain an effective working relationship, clients need reason to continue to trust not only the sales team but the implementation and account management teams.
All too often we hear clients tell us the last company they worked with left them feeling like they weren’t the most important client. At Trumpet, we strive to give our clients a positive customer experience they remember for a long time.
We do this from the moment clients speak to our sales team through implementation and beyond.
Ways to Solidify Trust with New Clients
- Define the Scope of Work. If clients feel that you’re not the expert or that you don’t understand their needs, they’re likely to dip their hands where you may not want them, especially during implementation. Before this happens, ask questions to clearly define the scope of work and expectations for the project. They may not be able to articulate the problems they want your product to solve but they can tell you the outcome they desire. Document these desires so that when the project goes sideways, you can come back to center.
- Identify Key People. Not only is it important to speak to key people at the client’s business, you’ve got to have the right team working with the client. Ideally they’re knowledgeable not only about the product but how the product is customized for this particular business. They’re able to answer a range of questions to make the client feel at ease. This will help keep the project within scope.
- Understand the Process. Once the scope of work is defined and key people are identified, it’s important for teams on both sides to clearly communicate the implementation process. Even if it’s the same for every single client, this client needs to feel they are the most important and that implementation will cause as little disruption to their business as possible.
- Respect their Time. If you say you will be with them on particular days, be sure that’s what happens. Let’s be realistic. Life happens and plans change; just make sure you’re communicating changes. If that means working on a weekend to complete a project, then that may be what you do to earn their trust and retain them as a client.
- Show Integrity. If something goes wrong, apologize. Trust us when we say that a client would rather know ahead of time that a timeline isn’t going to be met than be surprised when you’re still on-site later than anticipated. Being up front goes a long way to building trust with new clients.
The sales team has done a great job of selling the product to the client. Now it’s time to pass the baton and let the implementation and account management teams take over the amazing client experience.
We won’t say it’s easy but if you’ve got the right team in place, you can communicate expectations that solidify trust so your clients view you as the expert.
At Trumpet we’re committed to forward-thinking and always focused on making life better for our clients through improved processes and implementing amazing software.
To learn more about how Trumpet's helps people enjoy the way they work, contact us today.
