How to establish trust with clients and build lasting relationships

Once you have established that trust, the sky is the limit in terms of what can be accomplished, according to Shannon Severino, senior account director with Pascale Communications.

“When a client knows you, understands your capabilities, and of course, sees results, you can build on that trust and take your collaboration with them to the next level,” she says. “When trust is at the foundation of your partnership, it becomes easier to suggest new ventures and more creative strategies, upping the ante with them and helping them to think differently about their tactics.”

Trust and loyalty go hand in hand, Shannon says, and together those attributes allow you to grow your clients’ accounts, as well as retain their business when they move on to a new company.

Clarity and flexibility

So, what are the ways in which Shannon achieves these strong and lasting relationships with clients?

One is being clear and concise with recommendations and backing them up with strong rationale.

“Sometimes, PR morphs and traditional methods may not be an obvious choice for every client,” she says. “There is no one-size-fits-all strategy. This often requires you to think on your toes and create opportunities that fall outside the norm when the situation calls for that.”