Artist James Brown

Artist James Brown

If you haven’t seen the recent movie or HBO documentary on James Brown, you should check it out. He made me think about these top ten client relation tips:

  1.  Treat all clients with respect and dignity.
  2.  Try to understand the stress that our clients are under, especially when they are upset.
  3.  At the same time, do not tolerate verbal abuse from clients. Respect works both ways.
  4.  Keep boundaries. Clients need you to have an objective view, not become their best friend.
  5.  Clients don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.
  6.  Be honest in all things, at all times. Keeps you out of trouble.
  7.  Building good relationships are the foundation blocks of success.
  8.  Keep the client informed about what you are doing.
  9.  Be prepared and be thinking about going to trial from the first day. Cases settle more often and you get better results when you are prepared.
  10. Think about James Brown. He was the “hardest working man in show business” for a reason. He gave it everything he had, and it showed.