Responsiveness! The Secret Sauce

I remember when my father instituted a policy for every Project Manager (PM) to help them be more responsive to clients. He asked every PM to write a monthly letter to every active client. The letter was to explain where they were in the project schedule, how much budget had been spent and how much was left (if applicable), and what the client could expect from them in the next month. It was a simple status report.

Several months into this new policy, one Project Manager replied, during our monthly PM meeting, that he had not written to two of his clients because nothing had been done on their project for that month. There was nothing to report. In a very calm but direct manner, my dad paused the meeting and explained why we were writing the letters. Even if nothing was completed for the month, it was vitally important that the client know there was nothing completed, and more importantly, why.

I tell this story because it points out a secret marketing power you have as a Project Manager. The power is responsive communication with your clients. Keeping your clients well-informed does several things.

1. Well-informed clients have peace of mind that you are thinking about their project and, therefore, feel important as a client.
2. Well-informed clients are not left to their own imaginations as to why certain tasks take longer than others or why one month’s invoice is much larger than another month. They know exactly why which helps them feel more in control of their own project.
3. Well-informed clients learn something about their projects and how they get engineered and built. This makes your client feel smart and part of the process.

​If you would like your clients to feel important, in control and smart, then keep them informed and stay ahead of the responsiveness curve. How smart do you look when you answer their questions before they even ask them?