In commercial real estate it might be a long time between deals for my clients who sign 5, 7 or 10 year leases.  I like to keep in touch with my clients through LinkedIn and for the really fun ones, Facebook.  This keeps me up to date on what they are doing, topics they are sharing, where they might be speaking and allows me to promote them and keep in touch over the years.  The end purpose is to be top of mind when business circumstances change that might require more or less office, warehouse or retail space. 

I made a business decision two years ago to only work with clients that I "like." For many of those clients, my agency functions as their outsourced marketing department. Marketing, at it's core, is all about persuasion and storytelling, and to effectively market a product or service it's important to me to understand not just the objective elements of that product or service, but what the motivations of the owner are. What do they want? What motivates them to do the things they do? Why did they start their business? I only discover that by truly getting to know them. Many of my long term clients have become friends, and the fact that we have a relationship outside of our business relationship allows me to really understand how best to help them get to where they want to go.

One of the benefits of taking this approach has been reciprocity from clients. They know how much I appreciate them and many have shown their appreciation for what I do by offering free vacations at their beach house, random gifts and bonuses, and my favorite - an offer to drive the owners Aston Martin DB-8! 

I start off with a consultation to determine what the client is looking for.  Most of my clients are by referral so we both know something about each other.  We are in frequent conversation and spend a lot of time talking about what will happen in their buying or selling process.  I attend the inspection so that we have more time together.  After the close, I stay in touch on a regular basis and provide referrals for anything they need related to the home. My past clients are a big source of referrals for me and I want to make sure they have the best experience possible. 

When I prepare a business valuation.  I want to have a discussion or interview with management.  I want to learn more about how the business works, how are things are going as of the valuation date, and what is the outlook going forward.  This information helps be understand the risks of the business, apply the appropriate assumptions, and prepare a reliable business valuation.

I like to talk with business owners about their business. It is awesome to hear the excitement in their voice as they share their success stories with me.

In my practice of intellectual property law, I ask new clients about their 1, 3, and 5 year business plans. As well, I ask if they have a preferred or anticipated exit strategy for their business. That information enables me to better consider the options and alternative strategies we might use to protect the client's most important products, brands, and media. As well, it enables me to make specific, cost effective recommendations to enable the client to meet their immediate---and long-term---goals and objectives.

To get clients and to keep my clients I have to get to know everything about them. This is critical as I have to recommend whats in their best interest. If you dont know key aspects of their life/situation, it makes it difficult to accomplish this very important part of the engagement. I have a documented process to find out about them, their kids, their parents, their financial situation, their goals, thier dreams for retirement etc and I document them on an ongoing basis. The end purpose is to maintain a  great relationship and always make financial recommendions in their best interest.

The information gathering phase starts before someone even becomes a client with Prestige Accounting Solutions. Before booking a consultation, prospects must complete a questionnaire that provides me with insight on where they are in their business journey. This provides me with the tools needed to effectively maximize the hour they have booked. Some of the most insightful questions include:  1) How long have you been in business 2) What is your average monthly gross revenue 3) What is your form of business? (LLC, S-Corp, C-Corp, Sole Prop)

Perhaps the most rewarding part of my service is the post inspection walk-through with my clients. This not only gives me an opportunity to discuss and share what I’ve learned about the property but to also connect with them on a more personal level. I love when homebuyers are excited about the home and want to learn everything they can about how to keep a home in great condition. To be able to share this information with them and be such a big part of their home buying journey is perhaps the most rewarding part of what I do as a home inspector.

Nate Sampson

CPI® Certified Inspector | ASHI® Member

Checklist Home Inspection LLC

https://www.checklisthomeinspection.com

Getting to know my client is curcial to properly advise and protect.  During my intial conversation I review in detail the persons property, personal belongings and repercussions for not having correct limits.  The end purpose of this intial review is to make sure the person is carrying the right limits to protect their assets and protect their property.  An Additional way I get to know my clients is my yearly review.  This review is a check in to make sure nothing has changed since the last time we spoke, this yearly check in really helps make sure I am providing the right recommendations.

In my practice, we begin our patient relationship with a consultation where we discuss what a client is looking for, what they do, and what their lifestyle is like. This helps us establish common ground. Once a patient begins coming in for treatments, we have conversations about their family, their activities, their job, ect. The purpose of this is to build relationships and facilitate trust. When a patient trusts you, they not only stay loyal to you but will also feel comfortable referring their friends and family members to see you. 

We send an intake for each consultation to give us background on their issue. When a client retains, we have a detailed questionnaire to more thoroughly flush out their needs and the issues.

Melody Swilling Family Law attorney Roswell 400