How To Educate & Warn A Long-Term, Trusted Client

The business relationship between service and client should be affable at the very least, even if you don’t pretend to be great friends. You’re both there to pay for or fulfil a service at the end of the day, and doing so with professionalism, care, and attention can make a massive difference.

Yet sometimes, as a business helping a client, you have to speak to them frankly. For example, when the dentist tells you that you need to take better care of your teeth, or when the mechanic suggests the vehicle you’re driving shouldn’t be roadworthy, they’re doing you a favor.

As a business owner providing a service, being able to communicate with clients with care and attentiveness is crucial. Here’s how to do it, without scolding, but making your point known:

Make Sure Your Documentation, Proof & Internal Systems Are Solid

Please be cautious when raising a concern and making an accusation, as it often comes down to how well-prepared you are before the conversation even begins. If you’re going to sit down with a client and walk them through something that hasn’t quite gone to plan, or a responsibility they’ve maybe not made good on, the last thing you want is to rely on memory or hearsay. 

You should have solid systems in place to document your communications and any information relevant to their management as a client, like email threads, file versions, signed-off notes, timesheets, or documents with a date stamp. For example, payment solutions for accounting firms will help you more capably demonstrate where the billing cycle may have been impacted, or the history of your interaction with that firm, and how their behavior has changed.

Lay Out The Points & Consequences Sincerely

When you sit down to have that conversation, honesty is essential. You want to present the situation as it is, not embellish it or exaggerate its severity beyond reality. Think about how your doctor explains test results to you; they're not trying to sugarcoat everything, but they're also not being dramatic about it either, because the cool hand of professionalism is more important than anything else. That’s true even if the client’s recent actions have frustrated you.

Please start with the facts as you see them. Maybe the client has often missed deadlines that are causing delays for other parts of their project, or perhaps they're not providing the materials or information you need to do your job correctly. You might say something like, "We've noticed that the last three content drafts were submitted about a week after the agreed-upon dates, which has pushed back our ability to complete the design phase on schedule."

This way, you can remain objective and help them understand the gravity.

Suggest A Clear Route Forward

Now, none of the above matters unless you include the fact that your client needs to know what options they have and what you recommend as the best path ahead. Show them you can solve this issue together.

Adjust timelines to be more realistic based on their actual availability, or revise the workflow to prevent delays that may cause such issues. You can just stick to your expertise; as a financial firm, making suggestions about logistics is a little outside your wheelhouse. Just remember that the route forward should feel collaborative more than anything else, and point out where the innovative use of your firm is the value-added helper they need.

With this advice, you’re sure to educate and warn a trusted client, even if it's occasionally tough to do so.