The secret to strong and sustainable customer relationships lies in offering a personalized experience to your customers. That’s what should make your clients want to work with you only – the way you prioritize their business!

I have worked with tons of local and international clients over the years, and I wouldn’t shy away from saying that most of my clients are pretty happy working with me. Do I offer the best damn services? Not really. Of course, the world has more experienced people and high-end agencies and people who can do better stuff than I do.

But on most days, it’s not about what you do but how you do it, and how you make people feel. An enterprise with thousands of customers cannot pay attention to individual clients, but a startup can, at least to some extent. And when people choose to work with startups, they are looking for that dedicated (read: special) attention.

I am definitely not an expert but I have a recipe that has so far worked out for me. Don’t jinx it. Haha. Sharing it with you guys!

Don’t just stick to work. Get personal

Knowing your clients helps you serve them better. And when I say get personal, I don’t mean being nosy and forcing personal information out of them. But it is important to know what led them to start their business and the aspirations behind their venture.

Some non-work conversations are important to build a relationship, making it easier for the clients to trust you. Following on social media is a great idea too, in my opinion. The stuff you see on their social media is a great icebreaker and helps both parties view each other beyond business.

Stay almost-always available

Clients need to know that you’d be available whenever needed. Your clients shouldn’t have to run after you for a response but should be able to directly reach out to you.

This develops a sense of reliability and trust. When you are a startup, you can make mistakes. And that’s okay, as long as reaching out to you isn’t a long daunting process.

Even if that means making WhatsApp groups with key players of the project added along with the client. In today’s digital times, nobody can wait for the next day or care about business hours to get stuff done.

Pay attention to the feedback

Every client has a certain taste in design and content. Every business has different goals, so what you might find good for your client, could be a total no-no for them.

Pay close attention to the client’s feedback and get an understanding of their taste. And the goal is to get a hang of it as soon as possible. Until you are well-versed at it, keep bugging your client.

Not only will it communicate your efforts and willingness to know your client but will also help you make fewer mistakes.

Go the extra mile more times than not

Some days, your startup clients would want more from you than what’s decided on the contract. One more animated video, one extra ad campaign, one new app feature, and so on.

And as long as it doesn’t cost you much, go ahead and do it. Your client would forever remember that you helped when it mattered the most.

If they ask you for end-minute changes or something that is possible, do it. Later on, this little effort will take you a long way.

Once your clientele grows, you may not be able to do the same for everyone, but by that time, you should have already developed the reputation of a company and leader that cares.