Inspiring Adoration from Your Clients

If only the courtship between researcher and client was apparent and enduring. What if you could create a sense of togetherness and teamwork that has your name and insights as MUST HAVES for every project? Keep reading for three tips that work to do just that.

Courtship is a beautiful art; part allure, part enticement.  When done properly, each party walks away feeling better about themselves and the project.  Some of the most powerful sonnets in the world are about the courting process (How do I love thee? Let me count the ways…).

Ode to Our Researcher

By An Adoring Client

Oh, how we love thy insights,

Which speak to our customer’s needs.

Their depth shines light anew.

Astute art thou quotations & prompts,

Touching market motivations,

And caressing the truth from their lips.

Lo, how did we profit without thee?

Both message & plan, shrouded in darkness.

T’was a directionless existence indeed!

Come back to us again, sweet researcher,

Share thy wonders once more,

Enhance our every project, your wisdom endures!

Ah, to be courted and wooed by clients with such passion.  If only the courtship between researcher and client was so apparent and enduring.  Yet, it seems that connections with clients can be a bit less predictable.  What if you could create a sense of togetherness and teamwork that has your name and insights as MUST HAVES for every project?  Keep reading for three tips that work to do just that.

 

Tip #1:  Woo Me

Outside of the obvious listening skills, this means that the science behind mirroring language and nonverbal behavior is powerful.  People like to have their say, and they like to hear their words, phrases, and perceptions repeated back to them.  Trial lawyers have been doing it for years to sway jurors to listen to evidence in fresh manners (see, for example, “Trial Strategy:  Mirroring juror behavior builds rapport,” 12/09, Lawyer’s USA) and research on folks with disabilities has shown time and again the negative impact that occurs when communication expectations and self-perception do not align with messages which are received (see, for example, “Failed Mirroring As A Cultural Phenomenon,” 5/08, Pastoral Psychology). 

Admit it; you’re talented at getting participants to talk.  You probably even have stories about people who don’t want to leave the interview or express a sense of kinship with you during or after the interview.  Rapport works.  When we are in moderator or interviewer roles, we mirror our subjects and dig deeper using their words and energy to drive insights.  They feel a connection on a personal level and we’re rewarded with quotes, perspectives, and stories.

Turning our attention to clients in a similar manner can create the same impact, only on a project-level.  Just as we have honed our skills at interviews over the years, this is a learned skill set that can be enhanced through practice.

From the first call, tune in to language choices and focus on the true challenge they are working to solve.  Just as you do with participants, remember that probing leads to reasoning and deeper knowledge.  Clients want to feel as though you ‘get’ them and are working to solve their challenges.  As 2006 research from Northwestern University reminds us, “professionals risk ignoring or distorting key information about the problem when they bring in their assumptions and frameworks to interpret the clients’ problem.”  When misalignment is present, “negative affects, such as resistance, make people focus more on details,” but shifting to alignment and positive affects allows people to “think more about big picture patterns.”  (“Cognitive Strategies to Enhance Client Satisfaction” Zhong 2006)

 

Tip #2:  Charm Me

Let’s face it; it’s a rare occasion when we are effectively fawned over these days, making effective courtship all the more powerful when we experience it.  In a world where we are captivated by so many stimuli, its not surprising that Nicholas Carr’s June 2010 Wall Street Journal article shares that, “When we’re constantly distracted and interrupted…our brains are unable to forge the strong and expansive neural connections that give depth and distinctiveness to our thinking.” 

Your developmental skills in preparing for participants can further be transformed and applied to client reporting.  In developing your question guides and respondent flow, you consider fatigue and understanding issues.  Consider the same types of issues when developing reports and updates for your clients.  When executed masterfully, it’s possible to captivate someone in a few brief minutes.

Keep emails to under two paragraphs and bullet points to make scanning easier.  Use the reporter’s rule and avoid “burying the headline” in the midst of a discussion.  Develop the equivalent of an elevator speech for use in voice mail, sticking to the one key point that would most capture their interest.  Recall that what matters most to them might not be what matters most to you.  The message — whether email, voicemail, or brief conversation —  must focus on their needs, desires, and priorities to woo them effectively.  Business folks desire highly actionable and concise insights they can drop into presentations, use to support positions at meetings, and engage to transform actions in the company. 

 

Tip #3:  Captivate Me

The energy generated by powerful attraction is undeniable.  Energized clients ride the wave of inspiration a great report or meeting provides.  They want to keep that good feeling flowing.  Figuring out how your clients prefer to learn and engage allows you to craft messages in a “consistent way in which [they] respond to or interact with stimuli in the learning context. (Robert Loo, Journal of Education for Business, May/June 2002).  It’s courtship at its best.

Again, you already employ these skills in interviews and groups.  Refocusing their power on client relations is an easy way to tap into better relations.  In interviews you probe and present various kinds of stimuli to engage and excite participants.  You may include audio or video clips, packages they can touch, or descriptions that are written. 

When in doubt, incorporate a balance of learning style variety in reporting and communication.  Discover the learning style tendencies of your contacts by paying close attention to their preferences and adjust accordingly.  Audio, visual, and tactile learners all demand different kinds of stimuli to impact retention and understanding.  Weave these together and your reports and presentations will be so enticing that they get passed along.

We know client’s may not be literally writing sonnets in your honor, but we’d bet that getting hired time and again and seeing your insights turned into action can be just as alluring.  Beyond the reasoning we discussed above, clients receive three key benefits when you transition your approach:

1. Strategic actions are easier to implement and track
2. Energy and excitement are activated throughout the project process
3. A feeling of appreciation, teamwork, and value are increased

 

Increasing the ways in which client’s see value and perceive the immediate value of your work places you in a strong position for repeat business and a feeling of true teamwork.

 

Connie Chesner and Peg Moulton-Abbott are both active members of the Qualitative Research Consultants Association. In addition to that, Chesner is a Consumer Behavior Strategist at Right Brain Discovery while Moulton-Abbott is Principal of Newfound Insights.