Have You Earned Your Seat at the Table?

There is an old saying that to succeed, you need to earn your seat at the table. The interpretation is that you earn your seat by gaining the client's trust—trust that you have the client's back and trust that you keep your promises.

Today, having your client’s back and keeping your promises is just the cost of entry. But there is a third way to earn your client's trust and propel yourself to success with great velocity: help your clients solve their biggest problems. Don’t just be a supplier of a good product or service.

Many of you have heard me speak about the story that, back in the day, I was a major account manager for Simplex Time Recorder, which sold computerized timestamps to Wall Street firms to keep accurate trading records. Clients who used this product were subject to huge SEC fines if there were any irregularities.?

Our largest account for this product did not start out very well. After hefty fines, we finally got it right. Their head of facilities, a former Army Ranger who had no time for BS, called me up one day and asked me to clear my calendar the first Wednesday of every month to attend his construction meetings. I was stunned, as I was not sure what I would add to a meeting full of hard-nosed New York City contractors.?

The moment the meeting started, one of them yelled out, “Who's he?” pointing at me. And my client barked right back, “He stays. He earned his spot at the table,” although I had no idea what I was going to add to these meetings.

He wanted me there because I solved one of his biggest issues. He wanted to make sure that when it came to installing my product, we had everything we needed to do the install properly.

I was honored to be at those meetings as a trusted advisor. I didn't add much to the conversations, and after two months, I begged out, telling the client that we were good to go and that he had everything he needed for a great install. But when I realized I earned a seat at the table of trusted advisors, as my good friend Scott McCain would say, I earned distinction.?

Want to separate yourself from the competition? Solve your customers’ biggest problems, if you can.

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