May 17, 2012 in REACHING... by Sandy Schussel

SERVE Your Clients, or SOMEONE ELSE WILL.

There was a salad restaurant near my old office that I used to frequent for lunch.  The owner, Frank, was a hard-working, service-oriented man.  His staff would mix the salads to order, putting in grilled chicken, or pasta, or whatever else you might want.  Customers were always greeted with warm smiles.

Frank eventually opened a second restaurant a few towns over and began to oversee it, so he left his son—a tall, intimidating, unhappy-seeming man—in charge of the salad place.  Frank’s son never looked like he wanted to be there, and although he was always as perfectly polite as anyone could be (in a robotic sort of way), it was easy to imagine that there was something unpleasant smoldering underneath.

There had always been a daily special, in which a specific salad was marked down a dollar or two.  On one particular day that I stopped in, the special involved mixed-greens with a scoop of tuna salad on top.

I was enjoying my own lunch when an elderly woman came to the counter and asked if she could just have the special with dry tuna “flakes”, one of the regular options, instead of the scoop of tuna salad, because she was allergic to mayonnaise.

Politely, Frank’s son said no.  The woman told him that she couldn’t afford a full-priced salad that day and tried to reason with him, suggesting that the tuna flakes actually cost him less, because there was no labor—or mayonaise—involved.  Untouched, Frank’s son turned her away.

I guess I couldn’t help myself.  I tentatively approached him at the counter.

“Do you mind if I ask you a question?” I began.  “I consult with businesses that are trying to grow and I’m a big fan of your dad…I’m just curious why you didn’t give that woman the tuna flakes for the price of the special.”

“The special is tuna salad!” he exclaimed, with a smirk that revealed a tiny crack in his “polite” demeanor.

“But, you know, the tuna flakes do actually cost you less,” I pointed out, “and it might have won you a really happy customer—maybe someone new.”

“Yeah,” he replied, ”But the next person will want to substitute chicken, and then steak.”  An angrier edge crept into his voice.  “Where does it stop?  And besides, NOBODY ASKED YOU, DID THEY?”

His armor of politeness had fallen completely away.  And two customers were lost to Frank’s great little salad restaurant that day.  As much as I enjoyed the food, and Frank, I took my lunch breaks elsewhere from then on…

I never did get to tell Frank why I stopped coming to his place.  Surely, he must have known that his son didn’t quite belong there.  I didn’t need to tell him that.  Besides, nobody asked me, did they?

But if they had, I might have explained it this way:

Surveys show that only 1 in 27 unhappy customers or clients will ever tell you about their disappointing experience.  That means that if you’ve had just one complaint, there are likely 26 other clients who were also disappointed, but never told you.  10 complaints means 270 people might have been made unhappy by a similar situation.  At 100 complaints, it’s probably too late.

If you have just one complaint, you should thank the client who was bold enough to bring it to your attention, and you should begin immediately to investigate whether there’s any problem with your service that you can fix.

If you want help serving and creating enthusiastic clients that will stick with you, do what Frank’s son didn’t, and just ask me.  I’d be delighted to help you to keep REACHING…

May 10, 2012 in REACHING... by Sandy Schussel

The BEST Advisor in Illinois

No, I don’t plan to share an opinion here about who the best advisor in Illinois is, but I wanted to make this point: Most of us know how to meet prospective clients, talk to them, and have them retain us, but the what we do is not a problem.  The problem is who we are being when we DO what we do.

A few weeks ago, James, a financial advisor, told me how he had explained all of a client’s options to her and asked her which she would prefer.  She told him that she needed to think about it and would get back to him.  Weeks went by, and whenever he called to check in, she repeatedly told him that she still hadn’t decided.  Then, at one point, she began asking questions that made him suspect that she did not entirely trust him.

He had, up until that moment, had a good relationship with this client.  Now, he was afraid of losing her.  What had gone wrong?

“Among all those options you gave her the other night, was there one you thought was in her best interest?” I asked him.

“Yes,” he replied, and he started to explain which it was, and why.

“But I guess that’s where we got stuck,” he continued.

“Well, if you were The Best Advisor in Illinois,” I asked him, “What would you have done differently at that meeting?”

James responded almost immediately.  “I would have explained that there were a lot of options, presented her briefly with the two or three I thought were the best, and then told her that the one I selected for her was the best one, and explained why.  I then would have asked her if she had any questions before we got down to the paperwork.”

Note the underlined language in this article carefully, and you’ll see the difference between what James actually did at his appointment and what he perceived the “Best Advisor” would have done.  As he saw it, the Best Advisor would have simply assumed that his client would accept his choice for her.  He wouldn’t have asked his client which she preferred; he would have taken charge to supply her with the option he had determined was right.

Why, then, had James not acted like The Best Advisor in Illinois?

James was afraid—of pushing the client too hard, of not letting her feel that she was in control of the decision, of having her think that maybe he’s not as nice as she once thought.  He needed to be liked, and so he was trying to be nice—and so, he didn’t serve her in the best way he could.  Most of all, he was afraid that he might say or do something that would cause him to lose her as a client, even if what he was recommending was exactly what he believed she should do.  And he was terrified of losing even a single good client from his small practice.

So James “danced around” his recommendation—being nice, letting her decide—and not only wasn’t she deciding, but she was now questioning whether he was the Best Advisor for her.  To top it off, he was now calling her weekly (or, should I say, weakly).

“Would The Best Advisor in Illinois continue to call this woman every week?” I asked him. 

“No,” he replied.  “He would tell her that the two of them needed to get together and talk—even if she hasn’t yet decided.  He would talk to her about his feeling that she doesn’t totally trust him.  He would tell her that the option he’d selected for her was the right thing to do, and that her delay was actually costing her money.  And, I guess, he would tell her that if she doesn’t feel right about taking his recommendations, she needs to find someone else to help her.”

James promised me he’d call his client one more time and be The Best Advisor in Illinois.  A few days later, he got back to me to tell me that she had signed the paperwork to put his recommendation into motion.

Sure, he could have also been calling to tell me that he’d lost the client—but that loss had been set in motion while he wasn’t showing up to his work as The Best Advisor in Illinois.

How are you showing up?  Before you do anything with a client or a prospect, ask yourself the question: What would The Best ­­­____ in ____ do in my situation?  Focus on serving, not being liked…and watch how your practice or business begins to flourish.

Want help being The Best ____ in ____?  Just ask.  And while you’re at it, keep REACHING…

May 3, 2012 in REACHING... by Sandy Schussel

Make Everything OK

Several months ago, a Facebook friend shared with me this “Magic Button”.  Use it RIGHT NOW by exerting less effort than Dorothy did; just CLICK ON IT TWICE!!!  Once to navigate beyond this page, and again once you’re on the Magical Site.  Just a few seconds, and you’ll be beyond the rainbow:

OK, now that you’ve been endowed with otherworldly wisdom, GET BACK HERE.

Author Steve Chandler reminds his students and clients that we don’t react to what’s happening in the world—we react to our thoughts about what’s happening.

When the Red Sox are playing the Yankees and Mike Aviles hits in two runs in the eighth inning to pull the Sox ahead, Sox fans are elated and Yankees fans are not feeling “okay”.  Objectively, the event itself is neutral—a player gets a hit and two runs are scored.  But how we each feel about the event depends on our thoughts about what it means.

A dark room is just a dark room.  Only our thoughts about it give the darkness significance.  As a little boy, I would never look into a mirror in a dark room out of terror about what monsters, ghosts, or demons I might see there looking back at me.  When I became a little older, my attitude shifted; I began to play a game in the unlit rooms of my home, trying to learn the locations of furniture and other objects so that I wouldn’t need to turn on the lights.  (I have to admit that I still play this game sometimes, and it gives me an ever-greater appreciation for people without their eyesight—like my friend Jim—who don’t have a choice in the matter.)  For a majority of skeptical adults, a dark room is just an inconvenience that requires a light switch.

When a client or prospective client says “no”, it’s just someone exercising a choice.  That single reaction (or several of them in a day) might result in you feeling rejected, frustrated, or depressed; or in you thinking that you are “no good at” selling, enrolling, or engaging new clients; or that “no one wants” what you have to offer.

These feelings, however, come not from the act of someone saying “no” to you, but from what we think “no” means.

When you’re feeling low because your thoughts are clouding your perspective, you’re left with two choices of your own: Press the button and make everything okay, or check your settings of perception of objective reality.

Try this experiment: Spend your next week saying “no” to as many offers as you can—from anyone:

“Do you want to go to the movies?” “No.” 

“Would you like a sandwich?” “No”

See if you can’t come to see “no” as a simple choice.  Then, make some calls with the perspective that “no” is as fine a choice as is “yes”.  Outcome dependency is a subjective setting you are free to check and change.

If that doesn’t work, contact me, and we’ll talk about your perceptions.

In the meantime, PRESS THE BUTTON, and keep REACHING…

April 25, 2012 in REACHING... by Sandy Schussel

DITCH THE EMAIL APPROACH

“I am an insurance agent who has now ventured into financial planning,” Gary, a subscriber, told me the other day.  “My biggest challenge,” he continued, “is marketing my services.  I have tried emailing my insurance clients, but have received no responses.”

“What can I do differently?” he asked.

I’d like to share some of my thoughts in response to Gary’s question:

First and foremost, DITCH THE EMAIL APPROACH!  Pick up the phone and CALL instead.  There is nothing wrong with emails—or even Facebook or Twitter—when they are the right tools for the job.  However, if you’re trying to reach existing clients to ask them if they’d like to sit down with you and explore a new way in which you might be able to help them, these are the wrong tools.  The best way to accomplish your goal is to have an actual conversation—and the phone is a much better tool with which to accomplish it.

Second, SLOW DOWN.  This idea goes hand-in-hand with the first.  Picking up the phone and calling people individually is a slower, more deliberate approach to “marketing” than blasting out masses of emails.  It requires thought, preparation, and yes—a bit of courage!  Start by choosing one client that you believe you can really help with your [new] service(s).  Call him or her.  Make sure you already have a great relationship with this client.  Ask how you’ve been doing so far.

Then, tell him or her you’d like to meet to do a complete fact-finding session so that you can help even more or in another way than you have previously, and see if you can set up an appointment.

Now, you can call a second client and do the same thing.  One by one.  Serving good clients better than you have before will open the door to more business with them and to referrals for more people like them.

Gary needs to make a list of his best clients and consider whether they might need his new services.  If he is one of those agents who sells a policy and moves on, never to be seen or heard from again—so that there are no real client relationships formed—he needs to start by reaching out to clients to develop rapport with them.

A great way to check in on your relationships with your clients is simply to ask them if they’re satisfied with your services.  If they’re not, they are not yet candidates for your newer ventures, but they are awarding you the opportunity to fix any faults in your prior service.  When clients do express satisfaction, you don’t have to stop there; drill down even further by asking:

“Is there anything more I can do for you, now or in the future?”

Once it’s clear that they value what you’ve already done for them, they are likely to be receptive to your offering to help them in yet another way.

Gary invested time and money in the licensing and training he needed in order to have more ways to serve his clients.  Of course, he also did this in order to have more ways to earn an income, but in the end, which fact will matter most to them?  Approaching clients by email is not the best way to show them your desire to serve.

Call your clients.  And call ME if you want to discuss other powerful tools for growing your business!  (OK, you can email me, if you’d prefer.)  No matter what tools you have in hand, remember to use them, and keep REACHING…

April 19, 2012 in REACHING... by Sandy Schussel

DRAW Them a REFERRAL DIAGRAM!

“I found a new way to talk with clients about referring me,” Ryan, a financial advisor, once told me excitedly on the phone.  “I use a diagram!  I’ll show it to you.”

Ryan emailed me a little while later with this:

Of course, I was interested, and I called him back right away to have him explain how it worked.

“First, I draw a circle in the center of a yellow pad, where you see the ‘Joe W’, representing the client,” he started.

“Then,” he continued, “I draw circles surrounding the first circle for people they’ve already referred to me.  I thank them for the ones that worked out and tell them that these referrals are happy; I also point out the ones that didn’t work out, explaining how it just wasn’t right for whatever reason.”

“Finally,” Ryan exclaimed, “I ask them who’s missing from the chart!  I say, ‘Who haven’t we talked about yet?’”

Ryan told me that the client at the center of this drawing, Joe, looked at the chart and said to him, “I wonder why we never talked about my niece, Barbara, and her husband.”  He gestured to the open circles on the page.  “Add Barbara in there.”

Ryan was very proud of his piece of “referral technology”—and so was I!  I went on to suggest to him that any time a client or prospective client volunteers information, his next response should be a magical question—either “who else?” or “what else?”  Once Joe volunteered Barbara, for instance, a “who else” could identify another person for Joe and Ryan to discuss, and with whom Ryan could go on to arrange an appointment.  Asking  “who else?” again might have brought to light a third—and then even a fourth—potential client for Ryan.

Most professionals are terrified of the referral conversation and they either avoid it entirely or approach it so awkwardly that it doesn’t end up working for them at all.

Tim, one of my current clients, told me earlier this week that he was uncomfortable “switching” from being a professional to asking for referrals.  The goal, I told him, is to be a professional while asking for referrals.  There shouldn’t be a difference.  If you’re helping someone by providing a service, why not offer the same service to someone else in his or her life who might also really need your help?

If you have your own method of talking about introductions or referrals that works for you, please share it with me, and with the other professionals in your life!  If referrals aren’t yet working for you, contact me now, and I’ll let you in on a few of the tricks and tips that have worked for me and countless others in my network of clients and colleagues.  No matter what strategy you implement, one technique is certain: ALWAYS be sure to keep REACHING…

April 12, 2012 in REACHING... by Sandy Schussel

How Do YOU Spell S-U-C-C-E-S-S?
(*FREE* Personal Spelling Bee)

“…And he was rich, yes, richer than a king
And admirably schooled in every grace:
In fine—we thought that he was everything
To make us wish that we were in his place.
So on we worked and waited for the light,
And went without the meat and cursed the bread,
And Richard Cory, one calm summer night,
Went home and put a bullet in his head.”

—Excerpted from the poem “Richard Cory”
by Edwin Arlington Robinson

Wealth, fame, physical beauty—these are our *cultural* measures of success.

Yet, we see people every day who seem to have it all, and end up getting hooked on drugs, stealing, hurting themselves or others, or, like Richard Cory, committing suicide.

It seems that no matter how much “success” someone appears to have, it’s an external measure—by someone else’s measuring stick—not one’s own.  Despite all the good “fortune” in the world, there can exist an empty space inside of a person that never gets filled.

I used to offer a service to my readers, once or twice a year, to help them figure out for themselves what “success” means to them—not how their parents define success, not how their company defines success, and not how our culture defines success; not how their neighbors define it, not how they used to define it, but how they choose to define it for themselves, TODAY.

I want to offer this complimentary service to my readers again over the next ten days.  The whole process takes about 30 minutes, and I’ve been told by some of the people who took advantage of it in the past that it was a significant turning point in their lives.

The goal of this exercise is to understand how to simply, richly, and accurately describe how YOU define success.  The process starts with me asking you to think about how you would finish either of the two following statements in three different areas of your life:

“I know how successful I am by how…”, or
“I know I’m successful when…”

Here are a couple of examples:

I know how successful I am by how…

…many whims I am chasing.
…much passive income I have.
…easily my ideas convert to revenue streams.

I know I am successful when…

…I can live anywhere in the world that I choose, at any time.
…I have a feeling I am giving my very best effort to everything I do.
…I can wake up every morning of every day and decide what I will do today.

If you contact me, I will be happy to spend thirty minutes going through this exercise with you, free of charge.

I know that this work can help you in two important ways:

Instant prioritizing.  YOU know what’s important to you, whether you know you know it or not.  By working on these answers together, we can automatically lower the priority of many of the distractions and “false idols” in your life, in order to reveal the truth about what matters to you most.

Ongoing filtering.  You can continue to filter and screen everything that comes into your life by the value system we discover here, thereby protecting yourself from future distractions on the road to your *personal* success.

Until you’re clear on how YOU define “success”, it will continue to be defined for you by others, and it may never meet your internal expectations.

The “Success” Workbook

is an additional resource that can be found on my Free Downloads page.  The workbook provides more examples to assist you in creating your own measures of success, instructing you on how to “tweak” your answer until it truly resonates.

No matter what you do, don’t despair; get help.  You’ll get wherever you want to go if you just keep REACHING…

April 6, 2012 in REACHING... by Sandy Schussel

Are You Taking Action, or Making Excuses?

Beware the “BUT” Monster

“I couldn’t make calls for new business this week like I said I would,” my client, Rick, lamented a few years ago, “Because you forgot to send me the chart you promised.”

It was true.  I had agreed to email Rick a “Master Sheet”—an Excel spreadsheet that could serve as a manual alternative to the difficult software he had been trying to use to manage his client relationships—and I had forgotten to send it.

But, in my defense, whenever you have an opportunity to move forward that might cause you some discomfort, there are two things you can do about it: take action, or make excuses.  And making excuses (e.g. blaming other people for your inaction) is always the easier choice.

Rick’s failure to make those calls didn’t really have anything to do with the Master Sheet I forgot to send him.  He had simply stopped at “Wimp Junction”, the place where Opportunity meets Fear…and Fear takes command.  Rick had had an opportunity to garner some business, but he had been afraid, so he had used my “failure” to send him a new contact manager as his excuse for not trying to expand his contact base that week.

Wimp Junction is Fear’s favorite hangout, and Fear often takes shape as the “BUT” Monster.  If you’ve read my book, The High Diving Board, you’ve already learned about this menace.  The BUT Monster is the guy or gal who gets into your head and makes you say “Yes,…BUT”—certain self-defeating things—against your will, like:

“Yes, I would have made those calls, BUT…” or
“Yes, I really want to grow my business, BUT…”

The BUT Monster is also fond of the phrase “IF ONLY…”:

“I’d start working with you next week, Sandy, IF ONLY…”

Recognize either of these symptoms in your life?

My friend Barrie once sent me an excerpt from an article by Curt Rosengren, a fellow coach, about a tool he used called “5-to-1”.

Curt’s idea was that when you catch yourself avoiding something you know you need to do to move ahead with your plans, write down what you believe the real obstacle is, and then write down five possible ways around it.  Curt recommended keeping a journal of each obstacle you encounter along with the five solutions you then choose to acknowledge.

In my experience, most of the obstacles we run into are internal, and they are usually erected—at least, in part—by my fair weather friend, the BUT Monster.  When you see him, realize you might be stuck in Wimp Junction, and start looking for your first ticket out of there by recognizing, foremost, that there are exit strategies available; there is a way to go forward.

Still stuck at the Junction?  Contact me now.  Otherwise, keep moving, and keep REACHING…

March 29, 2012 in REACHING... by Sandy Schussel

BE…DO…HAVE…

“What do I have to do to get more of the clients I want?” Todd, an attorney who is trying to become an equity partner in his firm, asked me.

“The better question,” I responded, “is who do you have to BE to get more of the clients you want?”

Todd was, understandably, confused.

“What do you mean ‘who do I have to be’?” he asked, with both the confusion and a little irritation in his voice.

I explained to Todd that most people approach their goals with the wrong priorities:

“If I DO more [prospecting],
I’ll HAVE more [clients],
and then I’ll BE more [successful at this].”

I ask someone who he or she needs to BE to be successful, because the success actually comes from within.

If I can BE more [successful at this],
I’ll DO more [prospecting],
and then I will HAVE more [clients, and success].

Then, I repeated my question to Todd.  Who did he need to BE to have the success he wanted?

Todd started to think about the difference between his interactions with people and those of the most successful partner in his firm, Arthur.  Arthur treated all of his existing clients as if they were the most important people in the world.  This was something Todd thought he had no time to do.

But Arthur’s clients were always referring their colleagues to him.

“I need to be Arthur,” Todd declared, and then he said it again with a faraway tone that suggested he was deep in thought.  “I need to be Arthur…”

Todd decided that he would begin that very day to  “Arthur-ize” his own work relationships.  (That was what Todd wanted to call his action.)  He would choose to BE Arthur and to DO as Arthur did with clients, in order to HAVE more clients and the success that Arthur seemed to have.

When I ask my clients who they need to be to have what they want, I get a variety of answers: “Someone who isn’t afraid to pick up the phone and make a call,” one might say.  “Someone who is truly focused on her goals,” might be the response of another.  Or, one might say: “Arthur.”  “My dad.”  “Oprah.”  “Gandhi.”  “My boss.”  “My competitor.”  “My own best friend,” or, “My very best self.”

Another way you can approach who to BE is by asking yourself this question:

“If I were the best                                       (type of professional)
in the                                        (location/region),
how would I act in this situation?”

e.g.
If I were the best financial advisor in California, how would I handle this situation?
If I were the best labor attorney in New York City, how would I handle this situation?

Or, further:
If I were the best coach in world, what would my fee be?  Or,
If I were to BE the best, what would I DO, so I that could HAVE the results that I want?

If you’re not where you want to be in your business or your life, don’t ask: “What do I have to DO?”  Ask: “Who do I have to BE?”

I can help you be whoever you need to be in order to be successful, but only if you contact me.  I’ll be able to encourage you to keep being, keep doing, keep having, and keep REACHING…

March 22, 2012 in REACHING... by Sandy Schussel

The “Happiness Ratio”:

OVER-Deliver / UNDER-Promise

Your client or customer wants to see a report as soon as possible.  It’s almost impossible for you to have it ready before next Wednesday, but under pressure, you promise it to her by this Friday.

“Why did I do that?” you ask yourself.  Your intentions were good.  You didn’t want her to be disappointed.  But now, when you miss your Friday deadline, struggle through the weekend and, after working 36 hours straight, deliver it to her on Monday, she’ll probably be even more disappointed—because you didn’t keep your word.  On a scale from 1 to 10, next Monday’s delivery with this Friday’s expectation registers with the client as a certain “1”.

Imagine if you had simply been honest with your client and told her that you couldn’t realistically generate and deliver the report to her before next Wednesday.  Sure, she would have been disappointed right there on the spot, but likely, she would have also given you a reluctant go-ahead for the deadline you suggested.

In this new scenario, when you work through the weekend and hand off the report first thing next week, that same “Monday delivery” is suddenly a whopping “10” with your client.  She didn’t expect her results until Wednesday, and because you were way ahead of the schedule you proposed, you seem to have gone above and beyond to make her happy.

This, then, is the “Happiness Ratio”:

Recipient’s Happiness =
Satisfaction (based on your DELIVERy) /
Expectation (based on your PROMISEs)

If you deliver more than you promised, the ratio will be greater than one, and the recipient will probably be happy.  If you deliver that same amount or more, but it is less than you initially promised, the relation will become fractional, and he or she will be unhappy no matter what.  This relationship applies to both your business and your personal life.  Promise your spouse, date, or friend front row seats and instead, deliver seats somewhere in the middle, and you’ll undoubtedly render some disappointment.  Promise “nosebleed” seats, however, and deliver seats in the middle, and suddenly, you’ll be a hero.

I take my car to an auto mechanic who always gives me an estimate that’s steeper than the final bill he gives me.  If his estimate was cheaper than my final bill, I’d be upset when he handed it to me.  But by limiting his assurances at the outset, he makes me far happier to pay him when the time comes.

The key to keeping anyone happy is to under-promise and over-deliver.  Promise them an “outside” date.  Estimate a smaller quantity, or a higher price.  The terms you can ultimately satisfy might be unchangeable, but you’ll keep your friends and associates happier if you don’t get their hopes up, or set yourself up to fail in their eyes.  When you’re working hard and doing your best for people, keep their expectations reasonable so that you can still surprise and delight them with your unexpected results.

Where in your life or practice have you been overpromising and under-delivering?  It’s probably a habit we can work on changing together if you contact me.  I can’t promise you’ll transform overnight, but you can expect that I’ll help you to keep REACHING…

March 14, 2012 in REACHING... by Sandy Schussel

Build Your Business through Your Best Clients

Yesterday, my coach, Rich, called me with only one purpose.  He wanted to tell me that I was doing well!  We didn’t have a scheduled appointment.

This marked the third time in our working relationship that Rich had called me simply to say “Great job!” or to offer his help.

I’m telling you about his call because that’s what clients do when you’ve served them spectacularly, or when you’ve surprised and delighted them.  Each positive contact increases the chances that a client will tell someone about your effort, and the more delightful that effort is, the more people to whom a client is likely to mention it.

The time you expend is negligible.  Make a simple phone call just to say, “I was thinking about you today and wondering how you’re doing.”  Or, “I’m wondering if there’s any way I can serve you better.”  Or, “I was wondering if I’m giving you all the support you need.  Is there anything more I can do for you now, or in the future?”  Send clients articles you come across that have personal significance to them or their situations.  Call on their birthdays, instead of just sending cards.

What you do also doesn’t have to cost any great amount of money.  A couple of summers ago, my wife and I were walking along the beach when I happened to spy a white golf ball rolling in the surf at the edge of the water.  When I picked it up, I saw that it was imprinted with the name of a cruise line.  I remembered that I had a client whose 10-year old son had a collection of golf balls, so I packed this one up that night and sent it to her.  The gesture cost me nothing more than small packaging and postage, but it surprised and delighted both the client and her son.  Do you think she might have told some of the people in her life what I’d done?

There are two elements to successful relationship-building with clients:

(1) The number of contacts you make with them (I call these “Moments of Truth”), and

(2) How “magical” each of those contacts is.

You asked your client to drop by your office to sign a document after picking up her six-year-old son from school, and while you’re meeting with the client, you pull out a Spiderman (his favorite) coloring book and crayons for him to play with.  Will the client mention you when she’s with her friends later that evening?

Find a comfortable way to create Moments of Truth and make them magical.  Just before Thanksgiving last November, I suggested to two of my clients that they pick up pies from a local pie shop and deliver them to their favorite clients.

One reported back to me that the whole process was sort of awkward: “They didn’t understand why I was delivering pies; they thought I was there for an appointment.”

The other told me this: “Sandy, the first person I gave a pie to was so delighted that he told me we definitely need to sit down in January and talk about applying for more insurance.”

Find a way to surprise and delight that pleases both you and your clients.  When you do, you’ll find that you’re on your way to better relationships with them—and that they are telling everyone they know how great it is to work with you.

If you’d like to learn more about how to build your business through your best clients, contact me today.  In the meantime, keep REACHING…