During tough economic times it is very easy to want to take on every client possible in order to keep things moving. If you want your business to be profitable you must really understand your client’s needs and goals ahead of time. You really have to understand their needs along with their expectations before you take them on as a client.
Make sure to clearly go over your process and procedures so that down the road no hiccups occur. Communication right out of the gate is the most important part of taking on a new client. If communication is not established right from the initial process than the relationship will never strengthen. You can’t build a relationship just over email. It is important to understand their goals clearly. You can’t assume that every client wants the same thing. Some are looking to increase sales and some are more worried about online branding, two very different goals that require different steps. If you don’t clearly differentiate their goals in the early stages then your campaign could lead to a disgruntled client. Once you hit this stage it is very difficult to exit this stage without some real teeth pulling efforts. Take the time to understand the history of the business. Things like how long they have been in business and if they have ever worked with an SEO firm in the past. Take the time to learn the technology of the website. Will it mesh with your team? Do you actually have the capabilities to make the necessary changes on that particular website?
These are all questions you should be asking yourself before you take on a new search engine optimization client. If you don’t take the time prior you could find yourself loosing valuable resources down the road. Go over the project with your team. Get their input to make sure this is a client that could fit well with the culture of the company. There are plenty of firms out there that will take on the client if you can’t. The client will most likely appreciate your truthfulness and you never know what it could lead into down the road. If you take on a client that is clearly not right for you than you could end up with a reputation management issue for yourself down the road. We all know all know how difficult those can be to take care of once they have started to snowball.
