Some of my colleagues like to poke fun at me about my "airplane time," but those hours spent travelling by plane or train to visit clients and our offices are some of my most productive. This "down time" is critical for reviewing reports and documents; or just jotting down thoughts and ideas.

I used one of my more recent "airplane times" to jot down some thoughts to pass along to our employees, whom I greatly respect for the hard work they do maintaining our client relationships, and to anyone in need of some client relationship best practices.

Top 10 Client "Truisms" I've learned

1. Clients hire people, not firms
2. Clients hire people they like; someone they are ok spending a lot of time with through the life of the project
3. Clients like passion about and for their project
4. Clients like confidence, not cockiness
5. Clients do notice dress, social skills, and manners
6. Clients respect someone who really wants their business
7. Clients are unique; their project is unique, so treat it that way
8. Clients have "hot buttons"—do your homework
9. Clients get offended—do your homework
10. Clients dislike reading proposals and SOQs—keep it simple and reader-friendly

Mistakes I've Made that You Should Avoid

1. Listed references who were surprised when they got the call
2. Included outdated contact information for references
3. Presented an SOQ that references a different client—pulled a previous package
4. Met the project team for the first time in front of the client at interview
5. Showed frustration with colleagues at interview
6. Exceeded interview time
7. Talked way too much—clients hear about 10 percent of what you say
8. Brought more people to the interview than on the selection committee
9. Late for interview
10. Caught driving an expensive car to the interview—ask me about this story sometime!