I need to report

I just waved goodbye to a client. He went back to Korea after a business trip. It’s not his first business trip here.

 

Before his first business trip, I asked him if I needed to arrange a quick city tour or something that I can arrange. He didn’t answer much. At the beginning, I thought that he was very polite because he didn’t want to bother me or he didn’t plan to do too much.

 

Nonetheless, one day, we were in a taxi and we talked about his business trip and the company that he’s working for. He indicated that every day, he has to report what he has done during the business trip. Hence, he actually has to do so many things on a business trip. He didn’t ask me to arrange a short trip or something because he was very busy.

 

After he told me that, I realized that I actually had pushed him too much. He already has his plan and he knows what he wants to do and has to do. So, if he says he is fine, he should just let him move on with his plan. I just need to let him know that once he needs any assistance, just let me know.

 

With that experience, on his second business trip, I didn’t ask him too much. I just told him that if he needs anything, please feel free to let me know. I will do my best to help him. By communicating this way, we are able to collaborate with each other more effectively and make things more efficiently.

 

I talked to some other friends about arranging business trips for their clients. There are so many stories. Nonetheless, a key thing is that you have to know your client. You have to know what they expect and what their top priority is. With that, you can avoid misunderstanding.