Client Management Guide - Improve customer satisfaction

Playing mind games with your clients (such as short term offers or limited stock) can actually lose more opportunities than they win. In this video I explain some of the mind games I've had played on me as a client and the lessons you can learn from their failures.

Testimonials are essential if you want to win more work and beat the competition, but they're also a nightmare to get. In this video I look at how the way you ask for a testimonial can massively improve your chances.

If you can't compete on price then you must compete on service. This video explains how you can appear to be bespoke and beat the competition.

This video uses Econsultancy research to explain how you can solve the biggest problem facing clients and agencies today.

A sponsor will fight your corner when times are tough and win new work when times are good. This video explains how to make strangers in to sponsors.

Clients don't need to know everything in every report, trust me, too much information can be a bad thing. In this video you'll discover the right amount of information to include and why auditing what you do can be a far more effective solution.

Knowing when to listen and more importantly, when to act, are the keys to ensuring clients feel like you understand and will meet their needs. In this video you'll learn how to make a client feel listened to even if you hate their ideas.

Why are clients breathing down your neck one day and impossible to reach the next? in this video I explain what it's really like to be a client and why your perception of their day to day life could be wrong.

The biggest killer of projects is the chain of approval. In this video I'll explain why even your contact at the client may not understand who needs to approve a project and how you can unravel the mess of approval chains in order to get things done.

You may not care about the shareholders at your client but you should do. in this video you'll learn how shareholders can impact all elements of your project and why everything you do must keep this group of people happy.

You may hate brand guidelines but they're there for a reason. In this video you'll learn how to get brand guidelines, when to follow them and when to avoid them.

If you're not tapping in to the knowledge your client has then you're missing a trick. In this video you'll learn which questions to ask your client and how to use their knowledge to improve every aspect of your service.

If anything happened to you, what would happen to the project? Would it be able to continue? in this video I explain why that's a real problem for clients and agencies, and how you can have contingencies in place for effective project handover when people leave.

If you act like part of the client's team you've got less chance of losing the account in the future. In this video I explain how you can create this perception and build a client relationship that will survive for the long term.

If a client is worried about a project they can lose faith in it or become a nuisance. In this video I explain how you can make life easier for your clients, help them sleep easier at night and show them things are in good hands.

If a client is asking for you to give them free education on what you do, there's a risk they'll be preparing to leave. In this video I explain how this threat can be an opportunity if handled correctly.

The way agencies and clients work are very different but clients may have an expectation for how you should act. This video explains the ways you should meet those expectations whilst keeping your own identity.

The little things can go a long way. In this video you'll learn why face to face time and flexibility can keep client accounts strong.

Do you keep your client happy or your boss? And what happens when you can't keep both happy? In this video I explain the different needs clients and agencies have and the art of compromise.

Boring content won't win you awards but it will probably keep the client happy. This video explains why not every client wants or needs the latest hot new trend and what that means for your work.

Get caught out in a lie and you may damage an account in a way that it can never recover. This video explains when to admit fault and how to do it in a way where you can emerge untainted.

It can be tempting to take a client's money for anything they ask for but it also carries the risk of damaging the things you're already good at. This video explains when you should turn down work and why you'll make that money back in other ways.

Mirroring the values that clients have is an excellent way to show you respect their goals and business strategy. This video explains what those values may look like and how you can build them into the work you deliver.

It will come as no surprise that sales are the number one metric for clients to track ROI, so why do agencies spend so much effort on tracking as many other figures as they can? In this video I explain how you can track sales and why anything else can be a distraction for both you and the client.

Hourly rates aren't always the best way to bill for your time, especially if the project is something that is needed quickly. In this video I look at other ways to charge for work and show value in what you do.

Whenever you recommend something for your client, try to consider if you have done it for yourself. In this video I cover why it's easier to get a client to approve an idea, or buy from you, if they can see that you practice what you preach.

The worst way to start a new client relationship is to delay their project because you can't fulfil it. In this video I cover some of the best ways to schedule new work so this problem can't occur.

It can be hard for clients to visualise their ideas or put them in to words. In this video I explain creative ways to help you understand what they actually want.

It's all well and good to want to over-deliver for clients but it's not really sustainable. In this video I look at the pitfalls of having too much quality, how you can find the right level and how to ensure that the right quality level is met throughout the organisation.

Clients hate unexpected invoices and getting chased for funds. In this video I explain how you can make sure your client is expecting every cost and who the right people are to ensure you get paid.

Are you taking advantage of your client or are they taking advantage of you? in this video I explain how you can make clients feel like their had their say without allowing them to get unlimited revisions on every project.

In this video I explain why you need to work around the schedule of your client and tie them to specific timelines if you want to get things done.

The traditional agency model of monthly cycles can cause problems, especially if you don't have a consistent level of work for each month. In this video I explain some of the tactics that can be used to better plan timelines over a year, making for a much more consistent flow of work.

The mentality of 'just ship it' or in other words pushing work out of the door to get feedback later isn't ideal for many clients. In this video I explain the best way to prototype ideas without running the risk of upsetting your client.

The bigger clients you get the more chance there will be you'll have to work with another agency. In this video I explain how this can be done and even how it can win you more clients in the future.

The client doesn't need to know every single aspect of every project but if left too long without an update they can start to worry. in this video I explain the best ways to update a client and when.