5 Effective Ways to Improve B2B Client Relationships

Companies doing business with other companies have a lot on their plate. Even though the line between B2C and B2B is slowly fading due to the increasing personalization of content, brand-customer communication, and customer satisfaction, maintaining stellar B2B relationships still remains an intricate challenge that requires careful planning, strategizing, and timely execution. After all, there needs to be a compelling incentive for your clients to stay at your side through thick and thin.

Emphasizing your competitive advantage, selling a vision instead of a product or service, branding yourself accordingly, automating various processes to boost efficiency, reward programs – all of these actions will help you improve your relationship with your clients and keep you on the track to long-term success. Let’s break down each tactic.

Provide growth opportunities instead of services

First things first, let’s shift your clients’ attention from the products you sell or the services you provide to the value you offer over the long term. Specifically, let’s help them realize how you are aiding their own growth strategy, and how their long-term success is inextricably bound to your cooperation. Your job is not to sell a product, it is to help your clients grow, evolve, and conquer new heights in the years to come.

This way, you’re no longer a vendor, but a crucial business partner – which is also how you build loyalty in the B2B sector. To achieve this, you will need to devote time and resources to truly get to know your partners, to analyze their needs and aspirations, and to formulate a tailor-made strategy that will help them achieve their business goals. No cookie-cutter solutions are allowed if you’re looking to retain clients over the long haul.

Let your brand strengthen your bond

When you’re the leader in your niche, people will naturally gravitate towards your brand – and the same goes for other businesses. Successful companies as well as up-and-comers want to be associated with prominent brands in order to boost their own image in the eyes of their customers and clients, but also to enjoy a level of quality that only the top performers in the industry can provide. If you are to leverage your brand to strengthen your B2B relationships, you will need to build a strong brand identity.

Firstly, your brand’s values need to complement the values of your clients. You need to believe in the same causes and uphold the same principles in order to "click" and understand each other’s business in a meaningful way. Next, you will need to build your brand’s authority in the local and global marketplace. If Google and the public look favorably on your brand, you can rest assured that other businesses will want some of that stellar reputation of yours to spread to their name as well.

Don’t chase your clients for payments

One of the biggest threats to B2B relationships is the problem of invoicing and getting paid for your services. When you build a friendly relationship with your clients, it can get quite easy to allow a late payment to slide on the count of your bond and history; but doing this can put your brand in great financial danger. One late payment can turn into a habit, and now you’re faced with the ugly task of chasing your clients down for payment and putting a dent in your relationship.

This is exactly why experienced business leaders are increasingly turning to automated direct debit services, as automating recurring payments is the best way to ensure you get paid without jeopardizing your rapport with clients. The truth is that clients don’t like to talk about money, and if you don’t automate the payment process, you might end up sending annoying follow-up emails, and even penalties for every day that the invoice remains unpaid – be sure to avoid all unpleasant scenarios in order to preserve your stellar relationship.

Allocate time to meet up with clients

In the B2C realm, you might not be able to meet and greet your customers, except on special occasions, events, and promotions. In the B2B realm, however, you absolutely have to make time for your clients, whether it’s for a weekly Skype chat, or a face-to-face conversation in your office. Companies are nowadays looking for strategic partners, and in order to establish such a co-dependent relationship, you need to sit down and talk to your clients about strategy and your long-term cooperation. Even if business is running smoothly or on autopilot and everything is peachy, you’ll want to meet up just to say hi and ask if there is anything else you can do for your partners.

Reward your clients for their loyalty

And lastly, keep in mind that loyalty programs are equally important in the B2B world as they are in B2C. To boost client and customer loyalty, be sure to develop comprehensive reward programs that will show your long-term partners just how much you appreciate their business and how much you value your relationship. Offer free premium upgrades, give out complementary products and promotional materials, and knock a small percentage off your invoice for early payers – it will make all the difference.

Wrapping up

B2B relationships are complex and at times they can become quite fragile if you don’t actively show your commitment to your clients. Use these solutions to strengthen your bond and boost your reputation to attract new long-term partners to your brand.