The shiny car soon dulls. The new house soon becomes familiar. The exciting new client relationship soon grows flat…unless you choose to fight the forces of entropy head on!
Yet even the most intentional client development efforts must be consistent enough to fight this very constant force. ENTROPY. IT’S NOT A WORD COMMONLY USED BUT IT IS THE NATURAL TENDENCY OF EVERY SINGLE RELATIONSHIP. Entropy involves the erosion or deterioration of sensitivity and attentiveness.
Think back to the greatest proposal opportunity you ever won…
-Remember your unmistaken passion for wanting the business?
-Recall the attention and energy you poured into cultivating relationships with the key decision makers.
-Recollect the detailed strategy executed to understand unique needs, expectations and success factors.
Obviously new clients are great but here’s a news flash on the economics. It costs 6-8 times more to get a new client than to sell something additional to a current client – some studies report it costs up to 12 times more. Perhaps the classic song lyrics said it best… “love the one you’re with.”
The challenge is to stay tuned into your existing clients with the same intensity and attentiveness you had on day one. How can you best “love the one your with?”
- It takes putting in place well established communication protocols
- It takes an ongoing effort to get out of your own world and step into your client’s world to gain their vantage point
- It takes asking high-gain questions to continuously stay aligned with your client’s changing needs, expectations and business imperatives
- It requires that you check in with your client periodically and ask, “How are you experiencing our team and our service delivery?”
- It requires you to put a high value on the client relationship. Every day
The rewards and results will be apparent as you expand the profitability and possibilities within all of your prospective client and priority client relationships.
Conquer Entropy,
Susan
P.S. you ROCK
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