IM Spring Break 2009 Presentation: SEM Client Management

At IM Spring Break I spoke on the IM Business panel with Chris Hart of Bruce Clay and Tony Adam of Yahoo!  My topic was SEM Client Management.  If you need some tips on client management (don’t we all?) read on…

1. Quote with confidence: Many people have trouble quoting projects because they feel the client will balk at the price.  If you know what you need to make on a project for it to be worth your time to take it on (and you should…if you don’t, you need to find out NOW), you can feel confident in your pricing.  If you are confident in what you are charging and what the client will get in return for your fees, the potential client will be more likely to accept the cost.

2. Give realistic expectations & deadlines (for you and the client): I said this in my Scary SEO presentation as well and I will keep saying it until people start doing it on a regular basis.  I know it’s hard to tell clients it will take a month or more to complete their project and then they may not see results for months after that.  But, if you give them proper expectations, they will be much happier as the project progresses.  Also, you need to make sure you give yourself enough time to do the project properly.  Short cuts will only hurt you in the end.

3. Educate your clients on what you are doing for them: A client that feels involved in the process will trust you more and give you more freedom than one that you haven’t educated. Don’t get into deep details that they don’t need to know, but explain basic concepts to them and have them be involved at the level they feel comfortable with.  Remember they know their product better than you ever will so they need to be involved to make the campaign successful and an educated client will be able to be more helpful than a clueless one.

4. Over-communicate: This is another point I make as often as I can.  The worst thing that can happen is to have a client have to contact you to find out what’s going on with their project because you haven’t been in contact recently.  Update them as often as possible. If you over-communicate they will feel that progress is being made and will leave you alone to work on the project rather than calling to question what you’re doing.

5. Prioritize tasks so it appears things are consistently being completed: In any project, there are items that will take longer to complete and some that you can complete quickly.  When you start a project, map out what you can complete quickly and sprinkle those tasks in while you are working on the longer term portions of the project.  This way the client will see things being done and there won’t be a lot of “dead time” in their eyes while you are working on the bigger picture that they can’t see.

6. Use a project management system: Trying to do everything via email can get messy and doesn’t allow for good note keeping or scheduling.  Use a tool like Basecamp which you and your clients can log into and track the project progress.  Keep detailed client notes here too.  Clients will feel more confident in your abilities if you are well organized and can refer back to previous conversations easily.  If they feel like you are fully engaged in their account they will feel that you value them and will be more likely to continue working with you and even increase their budget.

7. Assume nothing: When you speak with a client never assume that they are happy or that they are upset. Don’t assume they know anything and don’t assume you know what they want.  Always have them explain how they are feeling and what they want before you start talking.  If you assume how they are feeling or what they know, your conversation will be ineffective.  Always start conversations by asking them how they are feeling about the project and what they want to get out of your discussion that day.  After you determine what they want to discuss you can let them know what you would like to talk about as well.  That will help keep the conversation on track and make the most of your time together.

8. Document all verbal communication: If you have a call or in-person meeting with your client, take detailed notes on everything that was discussed.  Document the conversation by transferring your notes to your project management tool so there is no confusion as to what was agreed on at a later date.  It is a good idea to have the customer review the notes and agree that they accurately reflect the conversation as they remember it as well.

9. Don’t schedule meetings with clients when you are short on time: Avoid scheduling meetings back-to-back or you will be thinking about the next meeting instead of really focusing on that client you are speaking with.  Also,  make sure you have time to do the meeting recap mentioned in item 8 right afterward while it is fresh in your mind.

10. Don’t pretend results are good when they aren’t: It’s good to be positive but don’t push it.  Be realistic and discuss the results as they stand and what you are doing to improve them.  Don’t freak out either.  If the client sees that you are worried about the results, they will be too.

11. Don’t lie. Ever: You will get caught eventually.  You aren’t the only person in the world that does what you do. At some point your client will probably speak to another consultant.  If you have lied to them, your competitor will be happy to throw you under the bus.  And, if you lie to your customer you have to remember what you told them forever.  You don’t have to remember the truth, you already know it.

12. Have someone else you can bring in to back you up: Having someone that you can bring in as an “expert” to back up what you are telling your client can be very beneficial. Don’t take it personally if your client listens to this person when they say exactly what you’ve been saying all along.  It’s human nature.  It can also be beneficial to have someone of the opposite sex as you to bring in to the conversation as that can drastically change the dynamic of the relationship.

13. Don’t use accusatory statements: Frequently people use statements such as “you didn’t do XYZ” or “you were late getting us XYZ.” When “you” statements are used, they put the other party in a defensive state.  Instead, you should use more passive statements that make the same point such as “We didn’t receive XYZ by the due date” or “According to Basecamp, we haven’t been sent the materials we need to complete this portion of the project on time.”  The conversation will be much smoother if you don’t use accusatory statements and in most cases the client will apologize for missing the deadline instead of being defensive.

14. Be prepared to walk away: Sometimes you have to fire clients.  If you don’t see any way to make the client happy or if they are taking up considerably more time than they are worth (creating a large opportunity cost), you may need to walk away.  If it has gotten to the point where you are considering breaking up with a client, it’s probably in your best interest and theirs to just make a clean break.