Client relationships feeling a little sluggish lately? Losing some of the old vitality they used to have? The conversations, the vibe and the business you’re getting just don’t have the spark or energy they once had. You feel like they’re a shadow of what used to be.
Is it Low T?
Let’s face it—it’s natural for client relationships to start to lose their energy once they reach a certain age. It happens to most relationships—not just yours. But, you look around and see other, much older relationships which still have a special vibrancy.
Chances are, they added a dose of T: Talk.
A regular, and often daily, dose of talking to clients adds that old vitality to your good relationships. Even average relationships will experience an injection of vibrancy—and new business.
Dosage
You can safely adopt T-supplementation by calling one of your top 3 clients once over the next 3 weeks. Talk about how their goals for the year have shifted or what has to be done in the short and long term. Share one tiny insight which will help them. Just one. Remember: T-supplementation is quite powerful and best delivered in small doses regularly over a long period of time.
Once you’ve started having calls you are ready for the next step. Move to a lunch or face-to-face meeting. T-supplementation requires careful preparation. Perform a search on news, new products, press releases and ask your client about one or all of what you see. Bring a mental checklist of topics with client focus—budget pressure, internal staffing and new demands on the corporate counsel’s office are sure-fire winners. Can you talk about something unique your client’s competitors are doing? Even better.
As with all supplements, you may not feel the effects of your T-supplementation immediately. You are more likely to experience a slow, steady build of increased vibrancy. You may experience immediate hiccups—clients who don’t have time to talk or meet—this is the relationship’s natural resistance to change. You can overcome this resistance by coming up with enticing topics—designed just for your client. You may have to ask for the meeting 3 to 5 times before your client believes you are not delivering just a placebo: the dreaded veiled sales call.
You may have to experiment to get the dosage just right for each client. But keep changing the mix—you are bound to get the desired results after a couple of times. And the rewards overwhelm the time it takes to find the right mix of topics, timing and talk.
Side Effects
We find two main side effects from using T-supplementation:
1. Possible discomfort from changing behavior and acting a bit outside your normal comfort zone
2. Inner joy as you find new challenges along with your new business
Warning: T-supplementation may cause jealousy in others.
MBR