How can you prioritize deadlines and maintain client relationships?

Prioritization is always a balancing act based of facts. Understanding the true deadline is a key for effective prioritization and maintaining customer relationship. Too often our deadline is based on our assumptions that might not be fully accurate. Transparent fact based communication with customer might sounds like cliche but it remains fundamental for successful customer relationships.

In my experience, both go hand in hand. I have seen that if you are transparent in your communication and set realistic expectations, clients will start to trust you. It helps to keep client priorities in mind while defining deadlines and having a bit of contingency always helps to handle unforeseen situations and avoid team burnouts

One thing I have found helpful is to assign a Communication Block within my agenda. Before that, I made a Potential Stakeholder Analysis and assessment, so I already knew whom I was targeting. Here I would like to recommend reading "How to win friends and influence people" by Keith Ferrazzi

From my perspective prioritising deadlines & maintaining client relationships is a fundamental task but can be done if we utilise some of the frameworks as discussed. By the Eisenhower Matrix, we can clearly define the task based on four categories: 1. Urgent and Important 2. Important but not Urgent 3. Urgent but not Important 4. Not Urgent and Not Important It will better identify what tasks require immediate attention and which require a relationship-building or long-term strategy. The RACI Matrix will help us to ensure that roles and responsibilities are clearly defined, R- Responsible A- Accountable C-Consulted I-Informed This will help to eradicate the misunderstanding and help to have healthy relationships with stakeholders.

Accept a truth. You cannot boil the ocean. You have to be realistic. Saying “yes” to everything will lead to burnout. Be selective. Work hard. Deliver. Don’t over promise. It’s a slippery slope. Deliver then nurture. 🙏

Try updating your clients on a weekly basis. This includes what you’ve been working on that week, what you have planned for next week and any additional insights, problems and recommendations you might want to discuss with them. Communication doesn’t need to be difficult. It needs to be consistent and transparent. After working in the industry for over 10 years, this is the number one thing you can do to build trust and confidence with your clients.

You delight in the ideas your friends share and you are more likely to contribute in solving their challenges if you know and like them. So at the core of a great client agency relationship is to first make friendships happen and then to allow unfiltered ideas to bloom Because eventually great work is only borne out of a relationship of trust and comradrie.

Again, I recommend "How to Win Friends and Influence People" by Keith Ferrazzi. Next, let's build an honest rapport. many many situations were successfully resolved through the already-built and exchanged credits. through acquired trust via transparent win-win negotiations and managing expectations. the first steps in client communication and management are mostly the most difficult stage. But if it was done right, and gained champions, congratulations, a long-term relationship is guaranteed.

Open communication with clients is key! Letting them know where you stand, how the progress is going, and any challenges that may arise fosters trust. By maintaining this transparent dialogue, you keep your clients informed and engaged, and if the time comes to make any changes, they're already well-prepared. This also serves as a time saving strategy as well. When you keeping clients in the loop, you can avoid longer drawn out meetings going over every detail which leaves you with more time to focus on the actual project. It's a win-win! Stronger client relations through communication and enhanced project outcomes.

You have to be transparent with your client communication so is crucial because to builds trust, reduces misunderstandings, and helps in resolving issues collaboratively, ultimately leading to successful project outcomes and stronger client relationships.

If you are a one-person BD shop, maintaining relationships can be time-consuming. It helps to have at least one partner with complementary skills. You can divide and concur to make sure all lingering administrative and tracking tasks get done. When you're all alone, you will tend to ignore the tasks you don't like. That's just human nature.

1️⃣Delegate Effectively: Delegate tasks to team members based on their strengths and expertise. Empower your team to take ownership of their responsibilities, promoting a sense of accountability. 2️⃣Buffer Time for Unforeseen Issues: Factor in buffer time for unexpected challenges or changes in project scope. This helps absorb delays without compromising the overall timeline.

No one can do it all. Delegating effectively and empowering your team to make decisions can significantly enhance productivity and ensure deadlines are met. It is also essential to have a stable, autonomous team when working with clients.

Delegation / Outsourcing is a double edged sword; so building a mental framework for it is super imp. What to delegate & When to delegate both are imp question that needs a clear defined approach. Once that is done, it is the most beautiful thing to help you grow. End of the day, goal is to put time in work where returns/value are maximum.

I love delegation but a prerequisite to it is clearly outlined and communicated objectives with the entire team. When one delegates it should never be just shoving work away from one's desk however the reasons must be well articulated and objectives well understood (including the fact that this is another way of ensuring that the subordinate gets necessary skills and practice to effectively be able to take on a larger role in the organisation). There always must be communication about where all your team members are in so far as the growth objectives are concerned. In sales this makes the team even hungrier and by nature sales people want to hit targets, watch them crush their growth goals!!

Managing those distractions is a big game-changer. Set clear boundaries and let everyone know when you're all ears and when you need that headspace for the grind. Tech tools can be your wingman here, blocking out all that noise and those pesky notifications. Plan chunks of time for deep diving into the heavy stuff, and don't forget to pencil in those well-deserved breather moments. Finally, mastering the art of saying no? That's your power move. If it's not adding up to your goals, it's a hard pass. Keeping that focus sharp is the key to slaying the game.

Don't be afraid to set boundaries. You teach people how to treat you with every interaction. If you drop everything every time the phone rings, clients will learn that the loudest voice will command your attention. Set clear expectations about when you are available, but also about what communication channels you prefer. The world doesn't end if you make it a policy to not answer the phone, or if you establish that Slack is for internal communication only. It helps to clarify that email is preferred and calls are always scheduled interactions via a video conferencing platform.

A great way to limit distractions is to do work sprints. Set aside specific time blocks of 10-60 minutes with no phones, messages, emails ect to focus on specific projects. This helps me so much. I have a short attention span so sometimes I even do 5 minute work sprints

Communication is key , I saw someone here talk about how to win friends and influence people by Keith ferrazi. I would also recommend it , it arms you with a good number of skills on dealing with people.To build on that communication you need to have a clear understanding of your current and upcoming projects ,deadlines and deliverables. Set realistic standards from the start , over promising is the easiest way to kill a relationahip in business. What you promise you must deliver !Honesty and transparency. Have yourself setup so that you know when you are falling behind if it ever happens and communicate ! Before they ask for feedback

Some of the things that can derail your progress and should definitely be avoided: - Last minute urgent requests that are not so urgent. - Routine tasks being delegated by team members upward. - Elaborate reports on partial progress that consumes a lot of time but don't add any value (Ability to transparently communicate with the customer is key here).

Resort to others for feedback along the way. Better to build on as you go. Best to improve 1% at at time than 100% at the deadline…

1️⃣Adaptability: Be flexible and adaptable to changing circumstances. Communicate proactively if there are adjustments to the timeline and provide alternative solutions. 2️⃣Post-Project Review: Conduct a thorough review after project completion. Solicit feedback from clients to understand areas for improvement and apply lessons learned to future projects.

Always be sure the feedback you are receiving is from a person who is credible and on the same page, goals and thoughts as you. If you wouldn't trade places with the person who gives you advice it's probably best you listen but don't implement.

the fifth step in a process, which involves regularly reviewing and enhancing performance and processes. This includes evaluating adherence to deadlines and client expectations, seeking feedback from various stakeholders, learning from both successes and mistakes, and celebrating achievements with appropriate rewards

A closed feedback loop always helps improve - Be it an AI system or a Human mental system. It is very imp to take feedback from each of the critical stakeholders & also look at the final “value” outcome & then decide things which needs improvement & which is working fine for you.

It's great if you can combine the two into one. For exqmple, tag your clients on your posts when you are providing valuable content. This way they know that you are keeping them on top of your mind whilst giving them exposure and new information. Otherwise, always invite your clients to any events you are running, eg. regular linkedin lives and zoom sessions, to ensure that you are continuously touching base with them.

Most importantly is to partner with each of your clients by working with each of them to align on a mutually agreeable milestones and timelines! Customers are very understanding when you are transparent with them. This is the essence of a long term partnership!

To prioritise deadlines, you need to: 1. Create deadlines 2. Adhere to deadlines I would add a third: 3. Price deadlines Let me explain. In one of the consulting companies I worked with, let’s assume we estimated a project would run for 100 hours. We would, very openly and transparently, add 10% on top of this for project management. This included time to create status/interim updates, internal as well as client discussions and even stationary and telephone costs. When clients know they are being charged for this, they will ensure both parties prioritise deadlines.

I confess, I read this somewhere not long ago, but I cannot remember where I saw it.  It's a system that I have been implementing for a few weeks now. So far, so good!  Anyway, here it is: 1) Define three non-negotiable tasks for the day. Make sure to start with them so you can finish them by the end of the day.  2)Small tasks get done whenever you take breaks between the non-negotiable daily tasks. Small, like the ones you get over with in a few minutes. 3)The rest are either delegated, postponed, or kept on the watch list until you decide to forget about them all together. But don't ask how many systems I have followed during my loooong career. Every once in a while, you would need a new one, wouldn't you?

Automating the process as much as possible: - there are literally thousands of tools to choose from for each step, ranging from calendars to tasks or organizers to follow-ups. Some are free to use/try - this will help save time by avoiding repetitive tasks, time saved is money earned