By Margaret Guelzow, Chief Client Officer at Cherre.
I’ve lived on both sides of the software relationship. For years, I was the client, the one buying the platforms, fighting for roadmap attention, and wondering if my provider even heard me. Now, I lead Client Experience at Cherre, a real estate data management platform, and here’s the thing: most clients aren’t fully aware of the potential they have to influence outcomes and maximize the value they receive.
It’s not about pushing harder, shouting louder, or threatening to churn. It’s about understanding how the relationship really works. These are the lessons I wish I had known back when I was the client, the insider truths that can turn a transactional vendor into a true growth partner.
Here’s a mindset shift that changes everything: vendors deliver goods. Partners deliver outcomes.
When you treat your provider like an order-taker, you’ll get transactional results. They’ll fix bugs, answer tickets, and maybe – maybe – deliver a feature you’ve been asking for.
But the moment you start sharing your bigger picture – your business goals, your strategic bets, the “why” behind the requests – you unlock a whole new level of engagement. Your partner will learn how to enable your outcomes and make you better.
The number one reason clients feel ignored? They don’t tell their partner what matters most.
Yes, you might log 50 feature requests in the portal. But if you never say, “These two requests are tied directly to revenue this quarter,” don’t be surprised if they get lost in the shuffle.
When I was a client, I thought the provider should just know what mattered. Now that I’m on the other side, I can tell you: they don’t. They’re juggling hundreds of accounts, each shouting about their own priorities.
The clients who cut through the noise are the ones who frame their needs with business impact. That clarity changes the conversation from “nice-to-have” to “must-deliver.”
There are two kinds of feedback: venting and actionable. Only one actually moves the needle.
“This feature is terrible.” OK, I hear you. But what do I do with that?
“This feature is preventing us from onboarding X clients, which is costing us Y revenue.” Now we’re talking. That’s the context I can take to a product manager and fight for on your behalf.
As a client, I learned quickly that providers respond better when I translated frustrations into business language. As a provider, I can confirm – it works every time. We feel more accountable and engaged when we understand the impact.
This is the least “sexy” advice, but maybe the most important: relationships matter.
The clients who take the time to build rapport with their Client Success Manager, their Support Lead, even the Product folks – they’re the ones who get more done. Not because of favoritism, but because trust makes everything smoother.
When I was a client, I once invited my provider’s CSM to sit in on one of our internal planning sessions. It wasn’t in the contract. But suddenly, she understood our world ten times better and she became our internal advocate.
Fast forward to today, when I’m the provider: I can tell you, the we want to go the extra mile for are the ones we feel connected to.
Here’s a dirty little secret: providers hear complaints all day long. Very few clients take the time to acknowledge when things go right.
The irony? Positive feedback is a multiplier. When a team knows you notice and appreciate their work, they’re more motivated to keep delivering for you.
I remember one client who always closed every call with: “Here’s one thing that’s working really well.” That habit built enormous goodwill. And when they needed a critical escalation six months later, we moved mountains for them.
The strongest client–provider relationships don’t feel like contracts. They feel like partnerships where both sides are accountable for success.
As a client, your role isn’t just to demand. It’s to share, to prioritize, to collaborate, and to celebrate. As a provider, our role is to listen, adapt, deliver, and earn your trust.
When both sides lean in, the relationship stops being transactional and starts being transformational.
If I could go back and coach my “client self,” I’d say this: stop thinking of your provider as a tool you bought, and start thinking of them as an extension of your team.
Because when you engage that way, you don’t just get better service, you get a partner who’s invested in your success. And that’s how you maximize value with your software partners.
Margaret Guelzow now serves as Chief Client Officer, leading Cherre’s client experience organization and strengthening the company’s Service-as-a-Software approach to real estate data management. A veteran of CBRE and WeWork, Guelzow’s leadership reflects Cherre’s focus on people – ensuring every client engagement delivers trust, transparency, and measurable value.
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I’ve lived on both sides of the software relationship, and and here’s the thing: most clients aren’t fully aware of the potential they have to influence outcomes and maximize the value they receive.
