As a consultant I often work on short term contracts and bounce between many clients and projects over short periods of time.  It could be easy in this sort of role to get complacent about building strong, lasting, relationships with the customers. These relationships are of paramount importance.

Obviously, as consultants, the most important thing is that our projects complete on time, on budget and fulfilling scope. Those expectations are a given.   However, it is equally important that we integrate with our clients and become part of their team as much as possible. Becoming part of the team gives an insight that can't be found in any system configuration file or corporate policy that we might be examining.

How this integration manifests can vary greatly between clients and projects. Sometimes it just means taking extra time to really communicate with staff and understand what drives them. Other times it can mean taking part in extracurricular activities. Either way, the goal is to really understand what makes the company and staff tick.

There are lots of staple activities that consultants take part in like golf excursions and lunch. Don't get me wrong, those are great ways to get to know the customer. However, I've found that some of the best client relationships come from going outside of the normal bubble of activites. In the last couple of years I've had the opportunity to hike, bike, sail, play soccer, rock climb, go to concerts, go camping, go to halloween parties and play music with clients. This coming week I'm going to a belly dancing event with my current customer www.genieknows.com!

I think that these types of activities can give more insight into a customer than any meeting or lunch could ever do. This inevitably helps the project and it inevitably starts friendships that will last years.  In business and in life, it is the relationships that we build with people that are most important.