11 Candid Questions for Evaluating Client and Referral Relationships

1. How genuinely do your clients feel about you? Be brutally honest.
2. Are you perceived by your clients as their trusted advisor?
3. Do your clients genuinely trust you?
4. Do they truly appreciate your service?
5. Is your skill, service, or product perceived as cheap?
6. Do clients enjoy visiting your establishment?
7. Have you provided anything special that warrants a referral?
8. What have you done that is memorable to a client?
9. What risks do clients perceive in recommending you to someone they care about?
10. Have clients encountered any issues with you or your staff?
11. What is your reputation within and outside your business?

Ultimately, have you established trust and rapport to foster better client relationships? Have you consistently delivered customer service and care beyond expectations? Have you achieved desired results for your customers? It’s crucial to be honest with yourself, avoiding the temptation to rationalize or avoid the truth. Acknowledge any shortcomings, as client relations, service, and care are correctable.

If you feel you haven’t been delivering at the expected levels, it may impact your confidence in asking for referrals, as you may doubt that you deserve them. Clients can often sense when expectations aren’t met. However, this situation is not insurmountable. By rectifying any shortcomings and demonstrating effort, clients will notice and, in many cases, forgive. Making positive changes can lead to higher admiration and praise, as clients recognize a genuine commitment to improvement.