Building strong relationships with clients isn’t just about being professional—it’s about being real. After all, people want to work with those they trust and feel comfortable with. And if you’re lucky, that trust turns into repeat business. So, how do you build that kind of rapport that keeps clients coming back? We have been fortunate enough to have multiple repeat clients and we are so grateful that they continue to put their trust in us year after year. Our approach to ensuring our clients want to keep working with us is rooted in our values of excellence, community, connection, and impact. We’re sharing what works for us in hopes that you’ll gain some insight into how our approach can work for you. Let’s get into it!
Flexibility is Key
Whether it's accommodating virtual meetings for a busy client or making time for in-person chats, being adaptable to your clients needs is so important. We have ensured that we’re willing to accommodate many requests to help our clients enjoy the event planning experience. Whether we join them for menu tastings, be onsite early to meet delivery drivers, or jump into a food truck to help dole out food, (yes this happened) it’s about making the client’s experience as stress-free as possible, no matter what curveballs come along.
Make Time to be a Human Being During Meetings
It’s one thing to talk business all day, but taking a moment to ask your clients about their day or personal interests can go a long way. As small business owners, we are genuinely interested in who our clients are as people because we are so grateful that they chose us to help them plan their event. Making time to act like a human being and not just a corporate weapon during client meetings ensures that everyone gets to know each other making the event planning process and the event day itself, so much more fun.
Keep The Process Transparent
Honesty goes a long way in building trust. If there’s a hiccup in the plan or something goes off-course, be upfront about it. We’ve found that clients appreciate transparency far more than over-promising and under-delivering.
Once, after our client had already paid a vendor for a whole bunch of balloons for their event, we discovered that the venue had a strict no-balloons policy. Let’s just say this was not fun to navigate because we really didn’t want to let our clients down. Luckily we communicated with them and the venue to keep the vision intact, and our clients appreciated knowing that the event planning process isn’t always as smooth and glamorous as many might think. Our top tip here is to always keep clients in the loop, even if it’s not the easiest conversation to have.
Keep the Vibes Positive
Simple as that. A good attitude can turn a difficult situation around, and it shows your client that you’re not just there for the job—you’re there to make their experience smooth and enjoyable. Plus, positivity is contagious.
Follow Up—Your Way
After an event or project wraps up, make sure that you check in with your client. Avoid sending a generic "hope all is well!" email—personalize it to show you genuinely care. As part of our post-event process, we schedule a debrief meeting with our clients. Before that, we gather feedback from our team and discuss the event internally so we can offer insightful suggestions for next year and provide a well-rounded perspective on the event day. We also love sending a personalized gift to each client to show our appreciation for their trust. Whatever follow-up process you create, make sure to tailor it to each client. A thoughtful, personalized follow-up shows you care and keeps you top of mind.
At the end of the day, it’s all about building real connections. When you show up authentically for your clients, they’ll want to keep working with you. And honestly, there’s nothing better than having a client who trusts you enough to come back again and again!
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