Client relationships vary depending on the level of trust involved – and trusted relationships have never been more important. With new technologies, changing regulations, and a shifting economy, clients increasingly look to their trusted advisors for insight and guidance.

Building and maintaining trust requires eliminating disappointing surprises. Because we are the professionals, clients naturally give us the benefit of the doubt regarding our knowledge and experience. But disappointing surprises – no matter how small – erode their confidence in us.

How easy it is for us to disappoint clients without even realizing it. The issue may seem minor in our mind, but to the client, it matters. Many times, we are completely unaware it happened.

For example, consider when you agree to call a client by a certain time with an answer. That actually creates two promises and two separate expectations:

1.              You will call by the agreed time.
2.              You will provide the answer.

Do you delay the call until you have the answer? That delay becomes a disappointing surprise. The answer itself may be brilliant, but its value is diminished by the disappointment created along the way. Make the call whether you have the answer or not.

If you think it shouldn’t matter, remember the brain chemistry of disappointment. Research shows that disappointing surprises create a stronger negative impact than simply meeting expectations creates a positive one. And one disappointment can weaken a client’s confidence that you will follow through the next time. As a result, your client relationships never fully develop into trusted-advisor relationships.

In the end, professionals rise to trusted advisor status by eliminating disappointing surprises. Here’s something you can do. At the end of an engagement, ask, “Were there any surprises along the way that we could have eliminated?” Try it and see how it goes. And let us know so we can learn together.