3 Simple Lessons to Help Junior Staff Become Rainmakers

By Derrick Smith

Recently, one of my junior staff members asked how he could develop a new client relationship. His question surprised me, as he currently is not involved in client marketing. I fumbled through the conversation and gave him advice about being relaxed and friendly, but I was unsatisfied with my response. Since that conversation, I’ve thought a lot about how I would answer that question if given another chance.

In this challenging economic climate, it’s important that everyone understands the need to nurture client relationships. As firm leaders, we can leverage our staff’s talents by mentoring them to assist with business development efforts. For many, it may take years to develop the skills to successfully foster client relationships. However, the following three concepts can help young professionals begin to develop the necessary skills.

1. Recognize that Client Relationships Are Built One Encounter at a Time

I recently read an interesting book by Steve Yastrow entitled We: The Ideal Customer Relationship. Yastrow’s most compelling concept was the simple idea that client relationships are built one encounter at a time. This means that every encounter can either improve a client relationship, deteriorate a relationship, or have no effect.

Building Strong Client Relationships How Young Associates Can Build Their Business Development Skills How to Build the Vital Relationships that Advance Your Career and Your Business What Clients Want: 4 Keys to Every Working Relationship

As I acknowledge the importance of every client encounter, I focus more intently on being in the moment during client meetings or when on a client phone call. That means that when I'm with a client, I don’t multitask. I turn off the computer screen, I silence the buzzing smart phone, and I request that my administrative assistant hold all competing calls.

2. Practice the Habit of Empathy

Empathy is the ability to put oneself in someone else’s mental shoes. In my experience, professionals who are naturally empathetic are also great rainmakers. Unfortunately, few seem to have developed this skill. Perhaps that' s because it is a difficult skill to teach. However, I do regularly use small client interactions as teaching moments. Simple questions like, “How would you have felt had you received that hastily worded email?” help team members consider how they might better handle similar situations. Reinforce the importance of empathy in all client interactions, including written communications, invoice formatting, and phone interactions.

For me, my client relationships are what get me excited about my business. I enjoy getting to know my clients, learning about their businesses or departments, appreciating their challenges, and then feeling I’ve made a significant contribution toward their success. All of this is possible when I practice empathy.

3. Understand the Value You Bring to a Client Relationship

In our proposal writing process, we work to communicate the unique value we offer our clients. If we can’t offer unique value for the project, we don’t prepare the proposal. The ability to think strategically is an important and learnable skill. You can help your team better understand your value proposition by asking simple questions such as these:

• What is driving the need for this project?
• What are the characteristics of a perfect firm for this project?
• Why would they choose not to hire us for this project?
• Who are our competitors, and what are their strengths and weaknesses?

These are just a few examples. However, don’t just consider these questions when preparing formal proposals. Instead, use the questions to understand the value you bring to every client relationship.

Many young professionals avoid participating in client development because they mistakenly believe their role is to make the potential client like them. This belief may make some uncomfortable. Certainly, it is true that people buy services from people they know and trust. However, the focus of client interactions should be to understand the answers to the value questions shown above. Relationships will develop naturally out of your sincere desire to understand the client’s needs.

Above all, share with your staff your passion for your business. Employees who share your passion for your services and who understand the unique value you offer clients will naturally create opportunities to develop new client relationships.

Derrick Smith is a partner with consulting firm MacKay & Sposito, Inc. (M&S), an infrastructure planning and design firm based in the Pacific Northwest. He publishes regularly in several regional and national journals that focus on business development, project management, and human resources topics related to his industry. A collection of his thoughts and past articles can be found at www.derricksmith.net.

blog comments powered by Disqus