Building your client relationships in a pandemic with Karl Sakas

Advice from helping 400+ marketing agencies grow

When you can no longer see your clients face-to-face, how do you build the trust and connection so they stay with your agency? In this pandemic (and post-pandemic) remote meetings are now the norm and there are fewer opportunities to build trust with your clients. Agency leaders need strategies to strengthen client relationships remotely to keep their agencies growing.

Since 2013 Karl Sakas has helped over 400+ digital marketing agency owners digital marketing agencies in 36 countries. He has 20+ years in agency operations — as a PM, Director of Client Services, Director of Operations, and now as an agency coach and consultant. Today, Karl helps agency leaders grow profitably while working fewer hours. He’s also the author of two books and hundreds of articles on agency management and shares free tips at Sakas & Company.

We asked Karl about creating deeper connections with clients during this pandemic. Now that Agency leaders must continue to build relationships remotely to retain clients and grow their agency, here is his advice for creating deeper connections with clients.

1. How do you get personal when you’re not in the same room?

Small talk is underrated. Shift into the main meeting within a few minutes, but don’t be so quick to dive in that it feels like “all work, all the time.” Take the time to ask people how they’re doing and what they’ve been up to… and listen to what they say. If people don’t feel comfortable sharing about themselves, take the lead in sharing about yourself first. And then ask follow-up questions, calling back to things they’ve mentioned in the past. People are often surprised that you remembered something that’s important to them.

2. How do you build trust remotely?

Consider that clients evaluate your agency based on Warmth & Competence, a concept from the book “The Human Brand” by Chris Malone and Susan T. Fiske. That is, you need to fulfill your commitments and get results for clients (Competence) but you also ideally make your clients feel special and valued (Warmth).

3. What are some ground rules for better remote client meetings?

Create an agenda, send a recap, and follow up about actionables. Be sure to circulate the agenda beforehand (so people know what to expect), summarize key decisions and actionables in your recap (so there’s an official record of what happened), and help people stay on track about their commitments in a pre-agreed fashion (so that everyone keeps things moving forward).

People often make fun of the “meeting before the meeting” — yet pre-meetings help you ensure everyone on your team is on the same page. Pre-meetings are especially important when you have multiple client stakeholders in the meeting.

And a “meeting after the meeting” helps you debrief to improve in the future… and ensure everyone’s clear on their next steps. Ask three simple yet powerful debrief questions: what worked, what didn’t work, and what to do differently next time.

4. Managing a team remotely is also tough, any tips on creating accountability?

Attention matters. A client mentioned his agency didn’t meet their Q1 goals. I asked how they approached things. His team created a long list… and then no one looked at it again.

At the beginning of an engagement, discuss who’ll be in charge of what. Consider using an ARCI (or RACI) matrix to organize each person’s level of involvement.

Gamification can help, too. In my executive coaching for agency leaders, clients choose a monthly “Reward” and monthly “Consequence” that automatically applies if they do or don’t reach their goals.

5. What should Agency leaders focus on during and post-pandemic?

Recognize that people are stressed out, and commit to Warmth & Competence in your work with clients and colleagues. Find the right balance between empathy and accountability.

6: Last question, what are your top 3 takeaways for agency owners?

Send those meeting recaps, build a calendar “buffer” between your meetings, and schedule solo “heads down” time for your non-meeting work as an agency leader.

Karl Sakas helps digital agencies grow profitably, drawing on his background in agency operations. As a consultant, coach, and trainer, Karl has worked one-on-one with agencies on every inhabited content. He’s the author of two books and hundreds of articles on agency management. For more advice or to work with Karl and his team, head to Sakas & Company.

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