Communication is one of my favorite topics - because it can truly make or BREAK your business! This month we'll focus on communication, starting with your clients. How you navigate through a project and deliver on your promises is what will define your company and your reputation. You want to have happy clients who are thrilled to recommend you to everyone they know. Developing trust and a great relationship with clients is ALLLL down to communication! So here are my 4 best tips on being the best communicator you can be!

1. Start Strong

Those first impressions are SO important! You want to start off communicating every single detail of what you KNOW a prospective or new client wants to hear. You should start by letting people know exactly how your process works for projects and what they can expect. You want to onboard clients so they feel as if you've already answered all of their questions. They should know your team and how you plan to communicate with them as the project progresses. A client shouldn't have to reach out to you to find out how things are going. So start things off by giving them all of the documents and info that they need!

2. Be Consistent

Communication should be set up as a process in your company, just like any other task that you have. There should be weekly updates via email, times when you sent cards for birthday or anniversaries, and dates for when there should be onsite meetings. And those communications should be consistent for every client and every project. If you set them up on a timeline and on your calendar, you'll never forget! And that will DEFINITELY make your client feel like they're in the loop and that YOU have your eye on the ball.

3. Pick Up the Phone

Things happen. No matter how hard we try, there are going to be mistakes and challenges. And I know it's SOOOO much easier to fire off a text or to send an email, but some things call for a phone call. Even if it's embarrassing or you really don't want to talk face-to-face, you're going to make a better impression if you can deliver not-so-great news either in person or on the phone. Be ready with solutions! But definitely show that your client is important enough to warrant that phone call. It will help develop that trust and mutual respect. It's just so much more professional.

4. Set Boundaries

This tip may surprise you. But you MUST set communication boundaries with your client, too. You are not on-call 24/7. Period. So do not get into the habit of responding to texts over the weekend or emails when you're on vacation. VERY few things are important enough for that!! I like to tell my clients during the onboarding process how I like to communicate. And I ask THEM how they want me to communicate. Some clients do like to text more than others, and that's ok. But I'll always tell them that I will respond to a weekend text on a Monday. And they all respect that because I'm clear from the very beginning. 

To help you start things off the right way, download my FREE Guide to Meeting with Potential Clients. It will help you start that communication process off the right way!

PS. Be sure to head over to my YouTube channel for more design business tips!