Writers essentially explain things, and we probably wouldn’t be in this business if
we didn’t feel that our explanations were better than anyone else’s. Still, everyone
has a unique point of view, so the essence of good client relations is putting
yourself in a client’s shoes and then delivering what he/she wants.

I break down my value to the client into five buckets: integrity, diligence, ease of
use, efficiency, and quality.

Integrity
Everyone wants to deal with people they trust, so I make sure to be trustworthy. I
show this two ways:

I’m honest. I admit if a project is beyond my capabilities, I say so and then
try to recommend another writer. I ask if I'm not clear on anything before I
start writing. And if I smell something fishy about a fact or assertion the
client provides, I question it.

I’m consistent. If I demonstrate reliability, I make it more likely that I’ll get
more work. Also, I maintain a consistent level of quality so the client learns
to rely on my work.

Diligence
The other side of trust is diligence: I do what I say I’ll do, when I say I’ll do it. That
means meeting the project requirements and respecting deadlines.

I make sure I’m clear about the content required. Some of us get ‘jerkophobia’
about asking follow-up questions after a long kickoff meeting, but it’s better to be
sure of the assignment up front than to disappoint the client with the work you
submit.

I like to be slightly early respecting deadlines. I’m faster than a lot of writers, but if I
submit a draft too early, the client might wonder if I gave it my best effort. A day
early is usually fine, although one client has come to rely on a 24-hour turnaround
for some projects.

Ease of Use
I want to be easier to deal with than other writers. Along with meeting deadlines
and project requirements, I try to ease the relationship by eliminating known
friction points and promoting efficiency.

For example, I don’t cause friction by insisting on being right. And I don‘t assume
the client has provided all the needed input, even if we both think that’s true. We’ve
all been through first drafts that were mangled in review because they were shared
with a wider audience than those we interviewed, and the new audience had other
ideas. Still, I’m not married to the content I deliver - I try to check my ego at the door.
 

I assume there will be review delays, so I don't bug clients about their timelines. In
some companies this might be a weeks-long process, but even so I can rest easy
knowing that the ball is in their court.

Efficiency
What can I do to make the process more efficient? Some clients have stone-age
methods of reviewing content, like commenting on separate copies of a draft (ugh).
Many want to give verbal comments, or have large, lengthy meetings for that
purpose. I try to help by proactively recommending more efficient ways to work.
For example, I create and store documents in the cloud, and encourage the client to
insert comments in that version. I might also suggest limiting participants in
content review meetings.

I also suggest deadlines for the client. Clients may ignore them, but at least they’ll
know I’m interested in moving the project along.

Quality
This is last on the list because quality is subjective, and many clients have no clue
about what makes good content. (If they did, chatbots wouldn’t be stealing work
from us.)

The bottom line is treating the client the way I’d like to be treated. By keeping that
firmly in mind, I’ve built many long-term client relationships.