Love is a choice. As relationships progress, real love must be cemented. And that love involves choosing to remain by your partner’s side for the long run.
In client relationships, it’s easy to experience the emotions of “falling in love” in the beginning of an engagement. It’s all new, all exciting, and there’s so much to learn, so many ideas flowing and a horizon of opportunity lies before you. The challenge comes years into a relationship, when the timelines have been executed and ideas have run dry. Just like a long-term romantic relationship, you have to make a choice to spice it back up.
Love, of course, involves an intimate knowledge and understanding of another person. You can’t love someone you don’t know. To initiate client love, it’s important that teams dig deep on client accounts – whether it’s a 10-hour retainer or 50-hour project. They should ask the right questions, research the client’s industry and really get to know client contacts to cultivate an intimate knowledge on their accounts. It’s imperative to know the history and current health of the business, as well as the state of the industry and competition. Sometimes, this type of interrogation can intimidate new clients, but for a PR professional, it’s how we will best be able to do our job.
The best thing about being in love with clients is that when you are in love, you want to tell the world about it. You document your relationship on social media, share stories of your adventures with all your friends and brag on your new love at every opportunity. Well, that’s what we do as PR professionals. And when you love your clients, this comes naturally.
Manager’s Office Team