With time more precious than ever it’s easy for anyone working in the fast-paced world of communications to power along and not take a moment each day to just “Make a Client Happy.” It’s a very simple concept to think about, but something none of us actually do as much as we should. At the end of the day, the strength of your relationship with your key clients is just as important as the results you and your team are achieving. So take a moment to read the list below and find time to put these in to practice – your work world is ready to be a better and happier place.

1. Give Them a Morning Dose of Insight. Use your favorite RSS reader and Yahoo Alerts and scan the headlines before 8 AM and send your client a quick email summarizing anything in the news that could impact their business. Provide some easy links to go check out more of the story and your client will be smiling ear to ear thanks to all the time you saved them.
   
2. Go Hang Out. While the phone and email are great, nothing beats face-to-face time. Once a quarter go work with them, literally. Ask your client to find you an available net connection at their office, load up a nice “to do” list and go for it. Tell your client you want to get a better sense of his/her environment and culture. More than likely you’ll be introduced to some important people and/or be invited to attend a meeting that could lead to lots of new opportunities. And definitely you’ll have some great “non-work” time with your client to strengthen your personal relationship.
   
3. Think Outside The Scope. Of course it is important to do your core scope of work extremely well, but you’ll really make a client happy by bringing him/her new thinking that wasn’t asked for – some nice proactive thinking on your part. Of course make sure it connects back to the overall company strategy but show them you are watching for new opportunities that could make a difference to the bottom-line.
   
4. Always Provide Key Learnings. No matter how much of a success a campaign has been there are always things that could be better. Your client will be thrilled to see you always looking for ways to deliver even bigger success in the future. If you get a client on Oprah for 30 minutes, discuss ways to get an entire show; get an entire show, how about a prime-time 2 hour show. (It could happen)
   
5. Be A “What About” Person. Too many times we are quick to say “yes” to any client idea or thought. Your client will be more appreciative of a communications partner who challenges them with some additional thinking, providing a “what about” concept to ensure the best ideas come out at the end of a discussion.
   
6. Introduce New Experts. Each day your client is facing new challenges just as a result of the world moving so fast these days. Be on the look-out for opportunities for a colleague to meet your client to provide some new thinking from a different perspective, creating a wider circle of people whose great work will also make your client happy by knowing they have expert insight to tap.
   
7. Showcase New Technologies. No matter what industry your client is in new technology advances in the digital space will impact their world. Take time out to educate them on this new world in person – take them to see a CEO blog, let them fly around on Second Life or experience their first podcast or wiki discussion. During these sessions explain how each could be connected back to their core business.
   
8. Package Up The Right Success For Free. Having something tangible your client can share with their boss is invaluable – and needed to show our true ROI. When budgets are reduced normally the “wrap up report” gets reduced. It’s worth the investment to create something (binder, MPEG, collage) anyway – and connect it to how your results impacted real change – product sales, web traffic, store traffic, new partnerships, etc. Your client will have a smile on their face when you provide this with a great tool to validate your combined role with the higher ups.
   
9. Get Out Of The Office. And attend trade shows, speaking programs, industry workshops, competitor events and anything else that is important to your client and their business. Use something you learned in first grade – how to write a book report – and share what you saw and heard with your client, connecting it to potential impact for the company as well as suggestions on how to leverage your findings. And for special bonus points, highlight important people you have met that they should meet.
   
10. Host A Free Creative Workshop. And of course nothing can make a client happier than inviting them to a creative session, especially a free one. Involving your client in the process and inviting additional "non core" team members to the session will provide a great formula to create new ideas that can impact the bottom-line.  These sessions also help identify new concerns your client may be having and provide an easy way to remind everyone that you are all part of the same team working toward the same goals.
    

Just putting in to practice a handful of these suggestions can make a big difference in your relationship with your client.  A happy client, is a happy client. 

I'm always looking for more ideas, please feel free to leave a comment.  What else do you do to make a client happy everyday?