Relationships don’t replace service
A lot is said about building relationships with clients, but relationships can’t replace high-quality client service. Personal rapport can serve as a buffer when things get rough during collaboration. On the other hand, it’s important to remember that these relationships aren’t limitless. A poorly delivered service or a low-quality product can ruin even the best friendship. What’s more, our cultural perception of friendship is mixed. On one hand, a friend deserves the best. On the other — a friend is someone who should be fine with less. For example, our company is called Friends of Brands — and for us, a friend is someone valuable and deserving of special attention.
Sometimes, in order to preserve a good relationship with a client, companies will stay silent even when things are clearly going downhill. That’s why the main rule of client-centric work is: don’t lie to the client. What matters more is knowing how to communicate even the toughest truth properly. It’s all in the delivery: how you frame something can make it sound like a win, a lesson, or a failure. In that sense, the truth is too multifaceted to justify lying.
The main rule of client service: don’t lie to the client.
A marketplace of consumers
The second deadly sin is failing to speak the client’s language — trying to impress them with how advanced you are. Clients aren’t required to understand your professional jargon or internal slang. Don’t burden them with it. Even worse is when you start showing off your “expertise” or industry knowledge — trust me, your client is an expert in something too, where you know absolutely nothing. Don’t try to assert superiority like that.The key task is to translate everything into client benefit and clearly explain what services will be delivered, what the client will gain, and what’s required from their side. Sometimes it’s hard to convince the client what’s best for them — but don’t give up too soon. Everyone has their own way in. In the end, if you’re truly a professional, your ability to persuade will pay off, and the client will appreciate your persistence and patience.
On the other hand, if you agree with everything and just go along with the client, you’ll soon lose your status as an expert in their eyes.
The second deadly sin: failing to speak the client’s language — trying to impress them with how advanced you are.
To seem, not to be
Everyone wants to be seen as the best company in the client’s eyes. But the real question is not how you seem — it’s whether you actually are a good company.
Always be honest about what you can realistically provide, and what’s beyond your scope.
If something you’re genuinely good at is important to the client, your relationship won’t suffer. Quite the opposite — they’ll know they can trust you, and that’s the foundation of customer loyalty. It’s a good sign that client service is now a topic of interest for all kinds of businesses — from consultancies to product manufacturers. It shows that Ukrainian business is moving toward client-centricity, slowly developing a more human, friendly face. The key is not to let that face turn into a ridiculous grimace in your rush to win over the client.
In a world where there’s no shortage of products and services, client service comes first. And it’s no surprise — today, people care most about the quality of service. We’re willing to pay more if it saves us time and stress. That’s where the real competition happens: products and services may be the same, but client service never is. So how do you avoid overdoing it in the “race for the client” — and still get all the cream?