You are a busy professional, so focusing on the transaction at hand is key for you and your client. Making sure your billable time is correct and at the appropriate level for you and your client is core to what you do. read on for a professional’s guide to long lasting high trust relationships

What happens if you invested a little more time into the relationship beyond the transaction?

Would that be of value to you and your client?

Building a high trust relationship with a client (as an individual or a firm) involves three key things:

Thinking about the wider perspective your transaction sits within.

Rather than focusing and zooming down to the detail of the transaction at hand, take a few moments to zoom out. Ask about the associated parts of the transaction. Why is your client doing this now? What else is happening in their personal life or business at the minute? What else do they need to consider as part of this transaction? A few simple questions and digging down around these points can help you find new effective ways to help and serve your clients.

Be more curious, ask more questions and explore more about the individual client or client firm that you are working with.

Knowing more about their political, environmental, social and economic factors. This helps you have more relevant and engaging discussions. This in turn creates a deeper level of rapport, engagement and ultimately a stronger relationship with the people you meet. This more robust relationship allows you to handle challenges and issues more effectively. It can help you in identifying new opportunities for your clients and building more credibility for you and your firm.

Focus on the individual.

Get to know them and understand them. What motivates and drives them? What are their aspirations, goals, and concerns inside and out of work? Getting to know your clients in a deeper way is a core element of building trust with them. The more they share with you and the more you are willing to share with them in this space the stronger relationships you build. this two-way creation of shared knowledge is a core foundation of trust.

A professional’s guide to long lasting high trust relationships is designed to help something we see professionals being challenged with day in and day out. Investing a little more time in these high-trust relationships helps you and your firm grow effective, valuable and rewarding relationships that last far beyond an individual transaction.