Photo – Harli Marten on Unsplash
A massage therapist, a mortgage adviser and a business writer found themselves grouped together in a breakout session. It sounds like the beginning of a joke doesn’t it? As it turned out, we found we had a lot in common.
The three of us discussed meeting with clients, gaining trust and cultivating rapport. Wendy De Grove, the holistic therapist who runs the business Soul Therapy, told us that some clients prefer to book a therapy such as Indian Head Massage to start with, during which they remain clothed and sit upright. They may not feel comfortable enough to relax, lie flat and allow someone they have never met to touch their body. Wendy explained that starting at the point that is right for them, however, allows them to develop trust at their own pace. Such clients often find that they become more relaxed with the therapist than they could have imagined.
I might have thought that a mortgage adviser’s experience of meeting with a client couldn’t be more different. I would have been wrong.
Samantha Lindsay from My Mortgage Angel described how nervous clients can be the first time they meet a mortgage adviser, and explained how important it is to find the right time and place for an appointment. For example, an early morning meeting may be preferable to one squeezed into a busy evening after work and school. Some people are happier meeting in their own home and some need a quiet neutral place to talk. Getting these things right means that clients are more likely to relax and give all the information Sam needs in order to advise them.
Sam’s particular niche area is advising families who have children with disabilities, and she finds that once clients are really relaxed they often divulge the reason why they want to move or remortgage, rather than just the financial facts, and this helps her to tailor her advice to their needs.
I shouldn’t have been so surprised to discover the similarities in Wendy and Sam’s experiences with clients. After all, in providing a service we are all working with people.
I am a writer now, working with business owners to find out what they need and want to say and to help them tell their stories to the world with power and authenticity. In order to do this work effectively, I need to gain their trust, help them to relax and tell me about themselves, their business and their hopes for the future. I need the information but I also need to know them as a person so that I can create content that sounds like they do.
As we discovered, if you work closely with your clients, whatever the nature of your business, to serve them effectively you will need to gain their trust and develop rapport.
The ability to put a new client at ease, gain their trust and develop a working relationship comes from both character and experience. Qualities such as empathy and being a great listener are vital but nothing develops good communications skills like lots of practice.
I practised developing rapport over many years working with clients in the criminal justice system. Meeting a new client who may be scared or angry, in the middle of the night and under pressure of time taught me how to communicate effectively and compassionately whenever I needed to!
And underlining both character and experience is the crucial matter of loving what you do. Wendy is passionate about her clients and the difference she can make for them. Sam clearly loves finding the right solution for her clients and seeing how their lives change for the better. Both have spent years gaining valuable experience helping their clients. Me? I enjoyed my legal practice (but not the middle of the night bit) but I really love working with words and helping my clients find the right voice for their business. Passion and enthusiasm are infectious; help your clients to relax and feel comfortable and they will love your work as much as you do!
