Ask your 3 key clients these 3 key questions
First of all identify your key 3 clients. This isn’t always straightforward – it has been discussed in previous articles and will be again - if you need help please get in touch. However, for the purposes of this article let’s assume that you have correctly identified your key clients.
If you are a large firm this may even stretch to 3 or more clients per sector or three or more clients per practice area.
Then arrange to meet and lead the agenda with the three questions below. Don’t invite them for lunch – have a proper meeting. If you are hungry buy and sandwich and eat it before or after. But have a proper meeting – not a lunch.
Send them the three questions in advance. Here they are – feel free to cut and paste:
1. What keeps you awake at night/what is currently keeping you awake at night?
2. What are your top three business priorities and challenges this year?
3. Have you asked or thought about asking your own key customers/clients these three questions?
Try to spend 40 minutes to an hour really getting to the bottom of these questions – pretend you are a political journalist and push your clients for as much information as possible. For example – explore not only the business/organisational challenges and issues – but also the personal work-related issues that the individual may have – what can’t they get off their desk? – what risks are troubling them? – What are their pressures? (customers; shareholders; parent company; regulation; debt; etc?) – what are they worried that they don’t know enough about? Your client will love telling you all this stuff.
The answers to these key questions alone are capable of kick starting, refreshing, or improving a Key Account Management programme for these key clients. They will also present you as a potential trusted adviser (‘potential’…you’ve still got some work to do to get to the ‘actual’ stage).
Finally – be sure to let me know what your clients have said – I will then help you to interpret what your clients are saying and I’ll help you to plan the next steps – how you can help them; what the next stage conversation needs to look like; who you need to introduce them to (both within your own firm and elsewhere); building the right long term plan for each client. Protecting your existing income and winning new business.
I look forward to hearing from you!