I know this is long over due and I can only apologise! I've decided that even if I can't write those long SEO articles I used to write I can still do short but insightful posts still. Hence my resolution to be a better blogger.
I've been learning a lot about clients and how to handle them which honestly is a new experience in itself. First you learn about SEO then you learn about clients AND SEO campaigns!
I'm pretty sure understanding your client is pretty basic stuff for any professional and it is a skill which has to be learnt and perfected over time. Because without a client you don't have a job and believe it or not I have learnt that the client is always and I mean always right. It's just about making them understand what they are right about.
To bring this back to SEO, I've recently had the joy of actually dealing with clients as opposed to taking the back sit and just doing the job itself and it was a whole new ball game.
Clients like attention which is fair enough, considering that is what they are paying you for but if you work in an agency like I do that means you have a number of other clients to attention to, some better paying than others. This is where time management comes in. Managing your time and giving top propert attention to the right client at the right time is key. There are also internal jobs and projects which needs to be carried out, all within this time. Now managing the client's requirements and requests is key to keeping a client.
The other important issue is managing the clients expectations. A lot of clients have very high expectations and goals which in some cases are totally unrealistic. Say for example a client that sells televisions who has a brand new website and wants to be Number 1 for 'television' on Google. That is pretty u realistic and that expectation needs to be managed. The best thing to do at that stage is to educate the client on why those expectations are unrealistic. There is no point in lying or saying those goals can be met because chances are, they can't.
As an SEO Analyst my job is to manage my time, manage my clients requirements and his expectations. Sounds pretty easy? Well it's not! The good thing is it isn't mission impossible, but it just might take some time... I've been told not to worry too much about my client handling skills, just learn! And practise, practise a lot. So this means dealing head on with clients and working with them daily.
So wish me luck in my quest to manage clients and keep them happy...
Thanks!
