While I was in Perth last month, I met with the local Market Leaders on building stronger, deeper relationships with clients. We explored the trust equation, which is a framework to understand and develop trust with clients.
24 hours later, we were hosting a client roundtable (a workshop where we discuss client service and our relationship). In this discussion, the client mentioned the word ‘intimacy’ eight times! He was looking for a deeper relationship with us. It made me high five to Strategy to 2020’s goal for us to be leaders in client service.
At GHD, our one-page client commitment is a reflection of what clients tell us they want from a relationship with us. Executing this well will delight our clients and set us apart from our competitors.
But to deliver on this client commitment, we first need to have trusting relationships with our clients, both external and internal.
This is where the trust equation comes in – it’s a way to analyse the strength of your relationships.
So let’s revisit the work of David Maister and Charles Green, authors of The Trusted Advisor (mandatory reading for anyone in professional services) and grandfathers of the advisor relationships.
I have adapted their original work to include some other dimensions that can drive us toward practical action.
- CREDIBILITY
You’ve got instant credibility with the GHD brand and your qualifications behind you!
Add to this by:
- Sharing stories of your experience that are interesting and relevant to your client
- Asking questions that show insight and help your client to identify their underlying issues
- RELIABILITY
Do your clients think you’re dependable? This is about doing what you said you would, when you said you do it by.
Add to this by:
- Doing it in a way that your clients prefer it to be done
- Anticipating their needs and communication style
- INTIMACY
Greater intimacy means that fewer subjects are ‘off limits’ – you are in the trusted inner circle and your opinion is sought after and valued.
It’s also so much easier to have difficult conversations when trust-based intimacy is higher.
You might like to:
- Take a risk and ‘go there’. Someone has to make the first move. This is about gradually ‘opening the kimono’ and sharing yourself both personally and professionally
- Suspend judgement and be inquisitive
- SELF-ORIENTATION (low)
You’ll erode trust pretty quickly by focusing on your own agenda, instead of the clients’.
You might like to:
- Spend more time understanding the problem than guessing or selling the solution
- Pay attention and be truly present
- Refer opportunities to the client
- Avoid negotiating contract terms harder than you listen to scope
- CONGRUENCE
Intimacy is easier to achieve with the real you. Be genuine and act in a way that is aligned to your personal values and sense of self.
Add to this by:
- Developing your own personal style. What are you famous for in relationships?
- Seeking feedback. This is better still if the feedback sought is about ‘how’ you do things rather than ‘what’ you do
- TIME (T)
Building relationships takes time and can be limited by the number of times you see or speak with a client. If you doubled the interactions over a year you can increase the speed at which your relationship blossoms. Making your interactions more impactful can also amplify their effect.
Add to this by:
- Calling the client between scheduled project catch ups or even when you don’t have a ‘job’
- Sharing articles of interest
- Remembering and celebrating your client’s personal and professional milestones
Try using the trust equation to rate your relationships by assigning scores out of 10 for each element then determining which area you should be actively focusing on. This can also apply to your internal relationships! You could even talk to your client about the trust equation and ask them how they rate you on each element.
If you have ideas on bringing client service to life, please email strategy@ghd.com; we’ll do the sharing and learn from each other’s experience.
Regards, Sonia