How to Empower Your Clients to Trust Themselves

I’ve worked with many clients over the past several years of being in business and I’m always amazed at how much the personality and individual nature of the client plays a role in the success or vitality of their business. It’s helped me realize just how important it is to create a client experience that can bolster and support my clients even beyond our time together as I perform the service for them.

I witness a lot of powerful transformations as I create brands and websites for my clients. These elements I’m creating are the tactical part of my service, the deliverable that’s expected and anticipated. However, the real power in my services comes from the intangible deliverables: the gift of total trust in themselves.

A quick note on trust: Trust is different from confidence. Confidence is an outward perspective — a positive attitude regarding one’s ability to make the right decision. On the flip side, trust is an inward perspective. Trust means you know you won’t always make the right decision, but you accept that and believe things will work out anyway.

This ability to trust oneself is a valuable tool as a business owner and I find that I’m in a perfect position to help instill and create this trust with my clients as they go through my services.

I strive to empower my clients to trust themselves because then they can actually take the brand and website I create for them and do something with it.

How Do You Empower Your Clients?

It may sound daunting or overwhelming to take on the emotional responsibility of delivering more than simply tangible goods to your clients. I recognized this power and responsibility as I first began serving clients and recognizing the impact I could have. However, empowering your clients is less about taking on any specific emotional responsibility and more about simply holding space for them to make powerful decisions.

Here are some of the principles I follow to ensure I’m practicing what I’m preaching and empowering y clients;

I believe my clients are the experts on their brand, and I’m the expert on branding. It’s a subtle difference but an important one. From the beginning of our time together, I tell my clients that we are co-presidents of their brand. I’m not an evil dictator. It’s never my way or the highway.

They find it comforting to know that I will always provide them with best-practice strategic thinking and advice, but by showing them that my knowledge is in no way more valuable than their past experience with their brand, it allows them to recognize the value of what they bring to the table. They know their customers, products, and business best, even though they’re coming to an expert in branding to get a solid foundation in place for their business.

I treat every conversation with my clients as an opportunity to change their life. Before I hop on a call with my clients or begin a meeting, I always make sure to prepare some notes beforehand so I can make sure I’m meeting them exactly where they are. I show them that this project is important to me, too, which helps to validate and empower them to likewise show up and trust the process.

I listen to them and really hear what they’re saying, focusing on what THEY want to achieve with their business, not what the world says success should look like. I like asking, “What would a successful brand look like to you?”

Lastly, I trust them. I get the ball rolling by being their first loyal fan. Too often I see service providers who want to help their clients grow and thrive, yet insist on holding their hands the entire time. How can your clients trust themselves if you don’t first demonstrate your trust in them?

One way I do this is by giving my clients insights into my own decision-making process. By sharing this behind-the-scenes look, I’m communicating my trust in them that we’re on the same page and of an equal mind and value to the project. This allows them to see all the different elements I’m considering and be able to apply that to their brand themselves moving forward.

Operating my business in this manner has brought me unlimited benefits and strengthened client relationships. How do you empower your clients and customers? Share your thoughts with me below: