From Bitter to Sweet: The Recipe for Building Strong Client-Consultant Relationships

As a student team working on the Sustainable Research Investing Consulting Project at Columbia University, we have been tasked with assisting a small sustainable finance consultancy. Our project involves examining the ESG integration policies, strategies, mechanisms, and outcomes of a select group of asset owners, with the goal of informing our client’s advisory to investment managers. 

One of the biggest difficulties we have faced in engaging with our client is a lack of responsiveness. Despite our efforts to reach out and schedule meetings, we have sometimes struggled to get a timely response. In fact, our kick-off meeting was pushed multiply and it was not until Week 5 in the course that we were finally able to concrete a meeting. 

But we were not going to let the slow pace of the project’s progress and seemingly lack of effective collaboration frustrate our success. 

Brainstorming as a team, we found that there were several strategies we could use to overcome this challenge and establish a productive relationship with our client. One approach was to be persistent in our communication efforts. Rather than becoming discouraged by a lack of response, we continued to follow-up with our client via email and LinkedIn connections, always remaining respectful and professional in our communication. 

Another strategy was to be proactive in setting up the first kick-off meeting. Rather than waiting for our client to initiate the meeting, we took the initiative to suggest a time and date that worked for everyone involved. By taking the lead in scheduling the meeting, we were able to establish a sense of momentum and demonstrate our commitment to the project. 

During the first kick-off meeting, we made sure to set expectations and create a shared understanding of what needs to be done, when it needs to be done, and who is responsible for each task. We took the time to introduce ourselves and explain our roles in the project, as well as to set our expectations. We also made sure to ask our client about their goals and expectations, to ensure they were perfectly aligned to ours. By showing a genuine interest in our client's perspective and priorities, we were able to build a foundation of trust and understanding that will be critical to the project's success. 

We also took the advantage of this first connection to establish a regular cadence of meetings, check-ins, and updated communications. We realized the client is difficult when scheduling meetings, but that they are willing to make all the necessary efforts to reach positive results. So, we tried suggesting WhatsApp to proactively address any pressing issues that may arise and maintain a more direct reach with them. 

We only had one meeting to demonstrate our passion and interest in this project – and we succeeded. 

My previous experiences working with unresponsive clients have taught me that effective communication and collaboration are essential elements for building strong client-consultant relationships. And there are three critical factors that are key to achieving this: having a clear deliverable plan with agreed deadlines and committing to them, maintaining regular professional communication, and ensuring that the client and consultant become one same team pushing towards one same end-goal. 

These realizations are critical in real-life consulting scenarios. Without clear deadlines and a deliverable plan, it is easy for projects to become derailed, and outcomes can be unclear. Without regular  communication, it is easy for misunderstandings to arise, and trust can be eroded. And without a shared end-goal, the project can become disjointed, and results may not meet expectations.