Three Reasons Why Great Clients
Leave and How to Get Back Into the Game
RainToday.com, December 2008
By Vickie K. Sullivan
In volatile economies, it's critical to keep current clients.
Unfortunately, many professional service firms are hearing
"no thanks" from long-time customers who love their
work. How can this happen? It's a sad mixture of bad news
and your brand. Below are the three most common scenarios
behind the decision and how to get back into the game.
We're moving into another direction
When the economy swoons, many people start hording their
smelling salts. Money starts to drift to new line items as
budgets become more centralized. Buying decisions move up
the food chain and the distance between buyer and the end
user becomes an abyss. Cost-cutting is everyone's business
now, and competition for project funding is fierce. And it's
easy to cut out the experts that the new buyers don't know
much about.
Translation: This phrase is code for "who moved my budget?"
Either your champion didn't have the juice to keep the project
(and you) on board amidst the change, or the rug got yanked
out from under their feet. Many will use this phrase to save
face. This scenario happens when your brand is limited to
your buyer who is no longer the buyer. It's also common when
you are not branded in the C-suite.
What to do next: The phrase gets bandied about a lot in political
situations. It becomes a knee-jerk reaction to fear. But there's
a big difference between "California will drop off into
the sea before we work with you again" and "sounds
good, but not right now." Find out if this is a done
deal or if there is an opening. My favorite phrase: "Really?
Wow, that sounds like a big change. I'm just curious...what
happened?" The answer can show you an opening to the
new priority. If it doesn't, get direct. Ask, "What's
on the radar now? Are you excited about the new initiative?"
You'll get more inside scoop than most because of your relationship.
Use that information to get your ally's help in reaching the
new buyer.
We don't need a (consultant, coach,
etc.) right now
When buyers face uncertainty, they tend to compartmentalize
as a way to get control over their situation. They can get
myopic real fast. The line of thinking: we can't afford a
high-priced (fill in the blank) right now. In this scenario,
it doesn't matter how well you are regarded. Or how valuable
your past contribution. If your budget line is cut, you're
on the sidelines.
Translation: When you hear "we don't need (insert your
services here)" you are branded in a small (and sturdy)
box. The buyer sees your expertise based on a role and not
based as a contribution. Example: If you are a consultant,
you only work on consulting assignments. The buyer can't afford
consulting, so they look for a speaker (whose fee comes from
a different budget) who can give tips/ideas for them to implement.
If you've only done consulting work, your client may not assume
that you can hold an audience.
What to do next: Keep in mind that while the budget may go
away, the need does not. Buyers tend to go for "good
enough" solutions because they know the objectives still
need to be met. Given your good relationship, you have a chance
to facilitate your way out of the box. Ask your buyer, "OK,
so you are not going to get any outside help. What's the plan?
What are you going to do to (enter need here)?" Be prepared
to back up your new role with fact rather than "I can
do that." A good response to the above example: "Oh,
so you are looking for speakers? That's exactly what (name
your other client) did. We created a great workshop on XXX
and we designed it so they had enough information/processes
to do it on their own for a while. It was a great stop-gap
measure until the budget comes back."
This isn't a priority
Navigating tough times forces us to focus. Even when projects
get rave reviews, if they don't put out the current fire,
the project gets cut. Anyone who is associate with the project
is labeled "dead man walking." This happens a lot
in general training contracts or middle management projects.
The value or the quality of your work is not the issue. What
really happened: your brand is too closely aligned to the
doomed project.
Translation: You got labeled as a "nice to have but
not critical" resource because you were branded by the
project and not by your expertise. Your services were valuable
to the end user in the past, but got cut because your project
(and therefore, you) did not apply to a top priority. This
happens a lot to generalists with champions who can't describe
the expert's value. The default assumption is "they did
very well in this project." The previous buyer knew your
worth but didn't know your brand. And because of that, they
couldn't sell you as a resource for the new priority. Example:
the number-crunching CFO says "cut all projects that
don't do XXX now" and your champion didn't know how to
move you to the new priority.
What to do next: It's easy to assume that when we do good
work, our brand is set. The reality is that we proved our
competence in that situation but not our overall brand. Buyers
don't have time to figure out new ways to use you. They are
in no mood for generalities. There must be a specific need
that is urgent enough to stop putting out the other fires
and act. Again, this is a facilitated conversation. The same
questions can be used from the first scenario. Find out what
happened, then use examples from other projects that show
you can do the work. Your biggest asset is your relationship.
Use it to "talk shop" and get the information you
need to make the new connection between the priority and your
expertise.
Branding beyond your current projects
Hearing the word no from our favorite clients can come as
a shock. It can shake our assumptions about our work and our
relationships. And when we look past the initial disappointment,
we find that the client's decision has just as much to do
with our brand as it does their situation. To compete in uncharted
territory, it's critical that we not only measure our effectiveness
but also brand ourselves beyond the scope of our current projects.
When we do that, we open doors to move from priority to priority,
from project to project. And isn't that the true meaning of
being a trusted advisor?
Since 1987, Vickie K. Sullivan, President of Sullivan Speaker
Services, has generated millions of dollars in speaking fees,
book advances and ancillary income for her clients. Sign up
for her free market intelligence at http://www.SullivanSpeaker.com
|
