Developing successful client relationships has never been “easy” work. At 3H, we have had the privilege of  having worked with some great clients over the last 25  years. It’s always a pleasure… at least mostly!  We have had the opportunity to create successful campaigns delivering on our promise of always putting out  awesome creative and, quite frankly, it feels great. Sure, we may have bumps and challenges along the way but when everything is said and done clients are genuinely happy about the success of the job.

And when our clients are happy, we at 3H are very happy campers.

When on time and on budget does not mean success… or does it?

Conversely, we’ve probably all worked for that other type of client. The one who is never happy. For them, it’s not enough that you bring the project in on time and on budget and that you produce some awesome result.  It doesn’t matter what you do, they won’t let on that you did a great job.  But really do they need to say it?

Client Relationships and the secret to make your client happy.

There’s a secret that’s saved our sanity countless times. There is a simple way to keep your client happy and to confirm mutual success. It’s called success criteria. Success criteria is a group of objectives used to define tangible business outcomes on which the success of the project is judged. Success criteria is used to establish what makes the project completion successful and to confirm that you have met your goals. Success criteria is defined at the beginning of the job. It establishes the definition of success of the project.

Defining success criteria is simple: Be specific.

There is one simple question you must ask your client in order to define your success criteria. “When and how do we know we’ve done a great job?” It’s the answer to this one question that will tell you what it takes to make your client happy and your project a success.

That’s easy, many say  just increase sales. But that’s not good enough of an answer.  You must be able to measure success criteria. So instead, you need to quantify the statement. It must be measurable.  Agree that when you increase sales by 5% then the project is a success. But don’t stop here. Even this measure leaves you open to risk. You must include a time measurement.  Increase sales 5% by the third quarter.

Success is obvious and your client is happy.

In order to know where you stand and keep your client happy, define success criteria at the beginning of every project. At the end, you can meet with your client and both agree that your project was a success.Your client will know that you met your objectives and you will know where you stand. There is no question or doubt.

Your client is successfully happy whether they tell you or not… and that makes you happy too!