Note from Bob: The terrific questions that Andrew shares in this post are not just great questions to ask your clients, but with only small edits these are also great questions for you to ask your direct reports!
A client of mine recently told me about how he had dodged death twice. The story of the first time is especially hair-raising, but I must save it for another newsletter.
The second time this happened, it involved a seemingly innocuous growth on his arm. It looked like a mole, and he ignored it. He was so incredibily busy running his successful, global company that he hadn’t seen his doctor in several years. He felt fine, and was in peak health by almost any external measure.
His doctor looked at the large mole on his arm and told him to see a dermatologist immediately–the same day. It turned out to be a melanoma that was on the verge of invading his body–of metastasizing. It was, in short, about to kill him (metastasized melanomas are highly lethal, according to doctors).
Here’s the point: Your client relationship may seem healthy. Even radiant. But there may be something small bothering your client. It may be a benign issue–for now. But over time that concern may grow and even merge with other concerns. Your client’s dissatisfaction can grow larger than the sum of the individual concerns. In other words, without regular communication and a thorough, annual client relationship review process, you risk losing a client because you were unaware of their true feelings or perhaps dismissed them in your mind.
You think it’s a small, innocuous spot but it may grow into something more deadly. By the time you react to it, the relationship may be too ill to recover.
Here Are 10 Questions You Should Ask Each Of Your Clients, Every Year:
“Ease of doing business” is an important and underrated concept, and you might close your conversation with this one. I’ve even said, to a busy top executives, “Is there anything else I can do to make life easier for you?”
There are a few other questions you might also ask, depending on the circumstances. For example, if this is a firm relationship and you have a designated relationship manager and team, you need to find out how the client feels about them.
And also:
What if the problem with the relationship is the relationship partner or account manager? This doesn’t happen every day, but I have witnessed this type of issue a number of times. An incompatible or poorly-performing team member is one thing; the wrong relationship manager is quite another.
Do clients know how to navigate your organization? Do they know exactly whom to turn to? The last question will help ferret that out, and what you learn may be very critical information.
Finally: once a year–probably in a separate conversation–you need to ask for a referral. “My business grows through word of mouth—can you think of anyone you know who would benefit from what I do?” If possible, try and ask for a SPECIFIC referral–e.g, “I’d really like to build a relationship with Bill Smith, who sits on the XYZ board with you…would you be willing to connect us?”
Andrew Sobel is the leading authority on the strategies and skills required to create consistent revenue growth through lifelong client loyalty and trusted business partnerships. He is the most widely published author in the world on this topic, having written eight acclaimed books on building clients for life, including the international bestsellers Power Questions and Clients for Life. Andrew is also the creator of the recently released “The Power Questions App” available in the Apple Store and Google Play Store. You can connect with Andrew @ AndrewSobel.com
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