5 Qualities B2B Marketers Should Look for in Clients
The best clients won't necessarily respond to queries instantly, but they'll do so at their earliest convenience: They understand that you've hired—and they've paid for—a team of experienced, motivated specialists, and that the only way to get the most out of them is to offer thoughts, feedback, and approval or disapproval when it's asked for.
If they argue passionately and vociferously with you, it's a good thing: It shows they care about the work. Radio silence helps nobody.
Good clients are honest. When clients complain constantly, it's bad; when clients don't complain at all, it's lethal.
The best of them offer constructive, actionable feedback wherever it's needed. They are specific rather than vague—"You know, I just don't think it works"; "It's a bit lilac, and it has to be more mauve"—but they're never cringing or awkward when it comes to delivering criticism that might sting.
If they treat your work like a child's drawing, where they know it's not good, but don't feel like they can say so, you'll never get any better, and they'll eventually dispense with your services. This also requires you to be thick-skinned enough to take it: If you're going to feel demoralized every time you've fallen short of expectations, you'll find it much harder to succeed.
Differences in opinion aren't just to be expected: they're to be welcomed. Eventually, you'll be grateful for them.
Good clients respect your time. It's true in friendship, it's true in romance, and it's true in business: Clingy relationships are the absolute worst. Everybody needs space to be their best selves, and a client that's worth keeping will respect your independence and your time.
In a very real sense, client-side CRM is a matter of understanding boundaries. You can't reasonably chase every opportunity, and you can't be at their beck and call: The time you have should be spent on seeking the very best results. If they've hired you, they should trust you enough to follow through on your promises and your strategy without undue interference.
Good clients are ones you can help. Finally, a good client is a client that wants to be helped. If they're obstinate, obstructive, obfuscating or obtrusive, it's not going to work out.
Why do they behave this way? It's question that's better put to a psychologist than an entrepreneur. Sometimes, they solicit your services for the simple reason that they have some leftover marketing budget. Sometimes, they want to shift the blame for their own performance issues. Sometimes, they've got bigger problems, and they need a plausible scapegoat.
You can't reasonably be expected to spot these things, because again, you only find out what it's like to work with them once you've started working with them. All you can do is make your expectations clear, do your very best work, and conduct yourself admirably in all your business relationships—as a supplier and a client alike.
Heather Baker is the CEO and founder of TopLine Comms, which has rapidly established its reputation as an effective, trusted, and results-driven B2B integrated marketing and video agency, specializing in the tech, energy, and recruitment industries. She holds an MA in Psychology from the University of Cape Town and an MBA from London Business School.