There is more to an executive level job than greater managerial and supervisory responsibilities.
Very often a promotion to an executive level job is stressful and the newly promoted executive wants to impress clients for proof of success. There are several ways to impress your clients in an executive level job to consider.
Appearance counts even when the workplace environment is casual. Clients want to feel confident the executive they place their business needs with is someone who is aligned with their goals and business focus. Image is the visualization of success that applies to presenting an executive image compatible with the business workplace.
As an executive you know the importance of branding. In marketing, branding is everything as the image and associations people have with your brand drive their perceptions and their actions. It will be very similar with your clients. Your image becomes part of the perception of your brand. As an executive for your brand people will judge your company’s success and ethics based on your own.
Articulate Communication
The second most important way to impress clients as an executive is to be articulate in verbal or written communications.
It isn’t possible to explain your executive level client obligations if you can’t clearly articulate them. Avoid fluff in client communications. Use business terminology that is strong and impressive and offers a signature business proposition irresistible to clients.
The inability to properly articulate communication can become a negative factor in retaining attention of loyal clients.
You want to make sure that your online communication is also a reflection of your own values. If you post things on social media that are going to be oppressing and dismissive of people. You want to make sure that your language and values don’t come off as too polarizing, political, or damaging to your brand. As an executive you act as an outward facing part of the brand to new investors, to the public, and to your employees. What you say and how you say it will be used as a model for other people that work under your direction. If you make sexist, racist, or transphobic comments then that will let people think they can do the same. Even if you think that you are justified, you will then loose public trust and it will become a PR nightmare.
Radiate Success
You want to make sure that your clients feel that your business is legit. If they see that you are struggling financially then they will think that your business may be on the red. This doesn’t mean that you always have to be wearing a dress or suit. However, you want to make sure that you are always wearing clean clothes that reflect your branding. Make sure that you have a new car to pick up guests and visitors. When you give lodging to potential investors make sure you put them up at a nice hotel and take them to a nice dinner. If you are counting pennies you will give a wrong impression.
You want to make sure that you pick up the tab during business dinners. Not only do you want to make sure that potential investors or clients feel pampered, it is literally of no cost to you since you can make the meal a business expense. This becomes a treat to you as you can combine your business, travels, and the luxury that comes with wining and dining other executives and pair it with those new restaurants that you’ve always wanted to try. Just remember that you should keep the wine or drinks to a minimum so you can still present yourself in a professional manner. You don’t want to sign or make any agreements while tipsy. Don’t do anything that you regret.
Professionalism
Client relations make reliability in contractual obligation a big factor in each business transaction including advertising, promotions, marketing and sales. Maintain reliability in verbal or written contractual obligations.
When producing documentation for business transactions, use a section header for each citation included in the client’s proposals, guarantees, warranties and terms of payment. Proper editing, grammar, and following brand style guides provide quick direction and attention to each section’s contents and avoid misunderstandings.
Elucidate your knowledge of business transactions and contracts so clients recognize your expertise as a business executive. This helps translate reliability to clients and furthers their trust in your executive level job.
People will take what you say as the final word. This is why it’s important that you are super clear in your expectations and instructions to your team. If you do not then you will have a lot more questions your way in the best case scenario. If you don’t, then your work won’t be what you expected.
Exemplify Leadership Skills
Clients judge from first meetings whether an executive has strong leadership skills by the executive’s overt management style of business operations. Strong leadership skills go hand in hand with winning client confidence and clients’ business.
Executives are also judged by clients by the types of business networking and professional associations and organizations they collaborate with.
You should consider having team building exercises with your team on the clock. This will make them want to participate. The power that comes with trust and clear communication will be translated in the culture around the office and the quality of the work that is provided. You want to have clients come into your space and be wowed by a sense of professional aspiration. This comes together when people feel valued and want to be at work, when the leader isn’t pushing people, but guiding them by example.
In summation, to impress clients in an executive level job, it is important to put together a total package of your executive abilities and quality of customer relationships related to your executive duties.
Appearance, articulate communication, documentation experience, leadership skills and networking are the basis upon which clients judge executive level jobs. The executive’s profile is a reflection of the executive job that impresses clients most.