No matter what else you do, nothing matters more than responding to clients in a timely manner. Selfishly, it means more clients will hire you which equals more money but beyond that, response time is a key factor in developing trust between you and your clients. Which, believe it or not, trust means the ability to work more efficiently and often can lead to less client interaction. When you don’t respond to a client, it sends them into a panic. The best possible scenario, they just think you’re unprofessional or bad at time management. On the dramatic side, they think you’re dead in a ditch or have taken their money and run. This cycle leads to more calls, more emails, more talking everyone down off the bridge. All of which could have been avoided with a simple, “Hi there! I see your message and will respond to you as soon as possible.” Just something to let them know you haven’t forgotten them. That they are still a priority and that you will do everything in your power to make sure their every need and whim is attended to. And, if you’re at the point where you don’t even have time for that, well, it might be time to get an assistant. There is no reason you should be taking on more and more clients if you’re not able to take a moment to acknowledge the ones you have.
The above image is by Jose Villa from our Southern Cotton Photoshoot at Huntington Gardens.