CLIENT-CONSULTANT RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT PRACTICES

ABSTRACT

The traditional idea that having strong analytical abilities and creating attractive reports are necessary for consulting success is vanishing. Consultants who are knowledgeable about these factors may have an advantage in a very competitive industry. This study explores the client management practices of construction consultants in Edo State. The objectives were to: identify construction consultants’ client management practices, and compare client management practices by the different construction professionals in the Edo State construction industry. The purposive sampling technique was used to administer copies of the structured questionnaire on consultants in the Edo State construction industry. Data obtained were analyzed using the mean item score technique and ranked.  "Good communication skills" with a mean score of 4.57 was the highest ranked client-consultant relationship management practice by the construction professionals. This is followed by "Trust", "Transparency" and "Integrity and honesty". The least ranked practice is the "Granting of credits/flexible payment options". Furthermore, the findings indicate similarities in the adoption of client-consultant relationship management practices by construction professionals in Edo State. Construction consultants in Edo State should consider granting flexible payment options to their clients as a strategy for improving their relationships with their clients. This study improves the understanding of client-consultant relationship variables in the Edo State construction industry.