Maintaining the same clients over a long period of time will ease the pressure off your consulting business - especially on months when you may not have many clients to work with. This will also build your consulting business and help you become a connoisseur in your niche. How then can you keep your clients and maintain business acumen?

Communicate

How you communicate with your clients will set the tone for future work, clients and partnerships. It will provide an opportunity for your client to know they can trust you with the work they give you. As a freelancer or consultant, having communication skills is the number one aspect of your business. How you relate with your clients both professionally and even at a personal level - if need be, will become a vital part of your business. You can use communication channels such as Slack or Trello to avoid back-to-back emails unless you are sending the projects for review or your invoice.

Stick to your deadlines

Communicate your deadlines and don’t falter on them. If the turnaround for a project is one month, break it down into small steps e.g when the first draft will be sent, when the reviews will be finalised or even when the client can expect graphic designs ready. When your deadlines are at par until the end of the project, a client can consider working with you again since you are accountable and transparent from the beginning.

Show value

What value will your clients get from working with you? Is it one where they will see the need to trust your service again? When the work you put in is efficient and brings in the expected results outlined in the terms of reference, a client will definitely consider you the next time they need your services. Be willing to put in the work to bring in value, not only for you but also for your client. Your current clients could be the link between you and future clients when they refer you based on the value you gave.