Whether you are agency or freelance, the relationship between you and your clients ensure the longevity of your business. A happy client is likely to renew their contract and potentially increase their spend.
So how do we improve client relationships?
Billie has been using ILM approved coaching techniques to build rapport with her clients. In this talk, Billie will teach you the fundamentals of coaching and show you how to effectively ask questions and to facilitate a stronger relationship with the client.
11. What is coaching
A mutual conversation that follows a predictable
process and leads to superior performance,
commitment to sustained improvement, and
positive relationships.
(Denis Kinlaw)
Fundamentals
@billiegeena // #BrightonSEO
12. Fundamentals
Purpose of coaching
● Coaching is about taking a person from one situation to another,
a more desirable one.
● In order to achieve that, the person receives support
from a designated coach.
● The role of the coach is not to teach, instruct or tell the coachee
what to do.
● Coaching someone is about helping them to find their own
solutions.
@billiegeena // #BrightonSEO
13. Scale of Rapport
5 support, trust, positively connected
4 strong sense of knowing, understanding
3 genuine warmth, kinship
2 comfortable, familiar
1 some warmth
0 neutral
14. Scale of Rapport
0 neutral
-1 hesitation, trepidation
-2 some discomfort, detachment
-3 awareness of dislike, disassociation
-4 genuine aversion, antipathy, real dislike
-5 hostile feelings, even loathing
18. It’s about how
@billiegeena // #BrightonSEO
Goal
What do you want to achieve
What will be happening when you have succeeded
What aspect of this is most important to you
Can this be a SMART goal?
19. It’s about how
@billiegeena // #BrightonSEO
Reality
What is happening at the moment
What stops you from moving on
What have you tried
What happened
What have you learned
20. It’s about how
@billiegeena // #BrightonSEO
Options
What could you do?
What else could you do? What else?
What are the advantages?
What are the disadvantages of each option?
What would you do if you had more time?
21. It’s about how
@billiegeena // #BrightonSEO
Will
What will you do?
What will be the first step?
Who else needs to be involved?
When will this be done by?
When precisely are you going to start and finish each step?
What support do you need?
22. Problem to Solve & Solution
Problem to Solve
Coaching is about asking
questions to the “coachee”
identifies their own
problems or thoughts
Solution
Your questions will then
lead them to a solution
@billiegeena // #BrightonSEO
24. So coaching with clients…
Unfortunately coaching with
clients doesn’t work the same way
as it would with regular coachees.
@billiegeena // #BrightonSEO
25. Differences in coaching
C
They don’t want to
think critically
Neptune
They don’t see the
value
Collaboration
Clients are not hiring
you to coach them
Understanding
There’s no coaching
agreement
@billiegeena // #BrightonSEO
26. Partnering with clients in a
thought-provoking and
creative process that inspires
them to maximise their
potential.”
—ICF
@billiegeena // #BrightonSEO
30. Think about the flow
Rapport
Build that trust,
ask how they are, and
mirror them
Purpose
Ensure there is an
agenda, pre-empt
questions and needs
Lead
Clients make wild
requests; use these
opportunities to
understand them
1st 2nd 3rd
31. When a request is made go back to
the theory
Topic Goals Reality
@billiegeena // #BrightonSEO
33. This process means
You can see the current
situation
You can see the vision
You can create more trust
with the client
You can keep the client on
track
You can better understand their
industry
You can empower the
client
You can learn the clients
everchanging goals
You can influence the
conversation
You can lead the client to
the right focuses
You client can start
critically thinking
Effective
conversations
34. Conversation Pyramid(ish)
Goal: Is this actually relevant?
Is this feasible to the SEO goals?
What would success look like?
Why has this person chosen this?
If it’s not feasible, can we make them come to that
realisation themselves?
TOPIC: Question from client
35. GOAL
Realistic Opportunity Will
TOPIC
Questions
Questions
Questions Questions
What is happening at
the moment?
What have you
tried?
What have you
learned?
What are the
advantages/
disadvantages?
What else could we
do?
What support do you
need?
What can you, the
client influence?
Is this a priority?
36. By delving deeper into a request from a client on
a call, you can change their mind, help them
prioritise, and better understand their mindset.
“It’s simple, but so fucking powerful”
— Me
@billiegeena // #BrightonSEO