So you want to know the secret to a great client relationship?

Ask them how they want you to communicate with them.

Maybe they like phone calls (office, mobile, other number?), or perhaps they respond better to e-mail. If they’re on Twitter all day, they might want you to DM if it’s urgent. Or maybe they love text messages, Skype, or some other tool. If they prefer face-to-face, in-the-room-together meetings, then you need to know that too.

The point is that it’s our job to meet and/or exceed their expectations. And we can’t succeed if we don’t customize our approach to them, much as we’d design the right approach for them to talk with their employees, clients, customers, and so forth.

When was the last time you asked your clients how they like to communicate?

Photo by Peter Kaminski (Flickr).