How to improve and start client interaction [closed]

Question

How to remove hesitation of interacting with client ? As a Devloper i want to develop my career but this require the better Client Interaction,but as now i haven't done any major client interaction , and i want to do major client interaction, how i can proceed in this way ?

Answer 1

So there are a few things here:

• You've got to find the opportunities. Often these aren't something you can control as your manager will decide who gets put in front of the client. What you can do is (a) make it clear to your manager that this is something you're interested in (don't be pushy but be sure he knows) and (b) demonstrate to him that if you do get the chance, you have the skills to do it well.

• Developing the skills to interact well with clients. If you don't do a good job of it the first time, there probably won't be a second time so:

  (a) Good communication skills - being able to express yourself clearly and unambiguously. The best thing you can do here is prepare. The better you know your subject, the better you'll communicate it because you won't be worrying about being caught out or having to think on your feet.

  (b) Good commercial understanding - the worst thing junior staff do from a managers perspective, is make unwise commitments because they're not thinking commercially. Understand how your company makes money and what the important things are and don't get carried away with a desire to please. Learn what you can and can not agree to. If in doubt it's always OK to say "I'll make a note and get back to you".

  (c) Listen - don't go into the meeting with the idea that you know how it's going to turn out. You don't. Listen to the client, try and understand what they're saying and repeat it back to them to make sure that you really have got it. Once you're confident you really know what they want, then apply yourself to how best to approach the problem, but not until you're 100% sure what they're looking for.

  If you're demonstrating these things day to day in your regular work, your manager is more likely to think that you're the sort of person who can be trusted in front of clients.

• Be realistic, start small. You're unlikely to be dropped into a major workshop right at the start so don't expect that but seek out any chance to be put in front of clients. Going on-site to get more information for difficult support calls is good and something you're likely to be able to get involved with, so are demos of new functionality. Build up your experience little by little and if you do OK on those things the chances will come to be more involved.

Answer 2

You must be interested by your client. The rest will comes naturally.

Be interested he thinks, how he thinks, why he (really) needs your application, his history, his culture, his side needs, ... and you should like him as it is. You are going to work with him for a while.

Seek first to understand, then to be understood.

It's the key in all your inter personal relationships. Including in the client-provider.

Listening to people is hard, and you will have to practice a lot to do it with ease in the future.

Answer 3

Listen to him carefully before you convey your thoughts.

You will get lot of information if you allow your client to talk and based on that raise your questions. I believe its easier to raise questions than interacting ;) .

As the days move on you start suggesting/interacting with client.