TZL 1311

JEN NEWMAN & DOUG PARKER, from page 1

away from you and are likely showering them with atten- tion. If you’re not tending the relationship, at some point your client may give your competition a shot. ❚ ❚ Show your passion. We all like to work with people who are passionate about what they do. Your clients are no dif- ferent. They want to know the person they’re entrusting with their project is just as excited about a successful out- come as they are. ❚ ❚ Seek client feedback. Don’t wait until the project is over to seek input. Ask if you and your team are meeting your client’s needs and how you can improve throughout the life of a project. Develop a process for client feedback and put it to work. 4)Educate: ❚ ❚ Educate yourself. Understand your firm’s history, mis- sion, vision, values, and strategic goals so you can speak to clients about your firm with confidence. Understand your clients so you can understand their needs and frustrations. Know your markets so you can have informed conversa- tions with your clients. Share what you learn with your colleagues, leaders, and marketing team to position your firm to win. ❚ ❚ Educate your clients. You learn something every time you complete a project. Share that knowledge with your clients. Position yourself as an expert to build trust and confidence. 5)Prioritize: ❚ ❚ Make client relationship building (business develop- ment) a priority. Bookend your day by scheduling five minutes of business development activity before you start your day, before you check your email, and before you leave the office. Use Outlook as a tool to help you remember to follow through and employ the many strategies above. Remember, the most successful client relationships are intentional and require persistence, time, and effort to be effective. If you want to maximize your return, employ everyone in your firm and teach them to focus on client relationships. At Zweig Group, we believe business development is everyone’s business. It can be at your firm, too! Zweig Group is proud to offer In-House Doer-Seller training that will help you ELEVATE your doer-sellers. Visit youtu.be/DVmRY_ga0GU to learn more. JEN NEWMAN, CPSM, managing director at Zweig Group, utilizes her more than 20 years of AEC specific experience to help firms grow their people and profits while ELEVATING THE INDUSTRY. Contact her at jnewman@zweiggroup.com. DOUG PARKER, FSMPS, CPSM, brings a unique combination of operations and marketing experience specializing in professional services firm management to his role as managing principal and CMO at Zweig Group. He has developed award-winning brand strategies to position firms and key stakeholders to gain market share and increase revenue. Contact him at dparker@zweiggroup.com.

great to meet you.” We are all pleasantly surprised when we go to our mailbox, and there is something other than junk. Your hand-written card might just brighten your client’s day. 2)Connect: ❚ ❚ Use LinkedIn. LinkedIn is an excellent resource for get- ting to know your clients and finding common interests. Connect with and follow your clients. And then share and comment (when appropriate) on their postings. ❚ ❚ Say their name. People love the sound of their name. Dale Carnegie famously said, “A person’s name is to him or her the sweetest and most important sound in any language.” Use your client’s name as an important way to create a connection. ❚ ❚ Send items/intel of value. Work to know your clients. And when you do, take time to send them things or infor- mation that they can use, like a restaurant recommenda- tion if they’re a foodie, a travel tip for their upcoming vaca- tion, a business journal clipping mentioning them or their project, a bit on intelligence in the marketplace, or even a recent article you read about the importance of client rela- tionships. Clients like, and hire, firms who know and stay connected with them. ❚ ❚ Guide your clients through your services. Consistently offer to proactively talk through your project process or when you send any deliverable or report. Provide a forum for interaction and questions. This practice will improve your client’s experience and provide you a wealth of knowl- edge to understand and meet their needs. And, if they de- cline your offer, you’ve still demonstrated your willingness to connect. ❚ ❚ Debrief. Whether you win or lose a project, debrief every time. Ask for direct, honest feedback when not selected for a project and be clear you’ll use this information to better position your firm in the future. And when you win, it’s even more important to know why you were selected and what differentiated you from the competition (so you can repeat that in the future). 3)Care: ❚ ❚ Be client-centric. Engage. Ask questions. Know your cli- ent’s personal and professional goals. Treat them as you would a friend and in all things be genuine. Strong client relationships lead to more work and a better working rela- tionship. ❚ ❚ Always respond. Clients want to be heard. They want to feel important. To ensure you’re doing this, be responsive every time. Even if you don’t have an answer, respond that you’ll get back to your client ASAP with a solution. ❚ ❚ Don’t take your clients for granted. We tend to take our closest relationships for granted. Do you assume your best clients will keep hiring you? I promise you, there is a long line of competitors who are working to take your client

Richard Massey | Managing Editor rmassey@zweiggroup.com Sara Parkman | Senior Editor & Designer sparkman@zweiggroup.com Liisa Andreassen | Correspondent landreassen@zweiggroup.com Tel: 800-466-6275

Fax: 800-842-1560 Email: info@zweiggroup.com Online: thezweigletter.com Twitter: twitter.com/zweigletter

Facebook: facebook.com/thezweigletter Published continuously since 1992 by Zweig Group, Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA. ISSN 1068-1310.

1200 North College Ave. Fayetteville, AR 72703 Chad Clinehens | Publisher cclinehens@zweiggroup.com

THE ZWEIG LETTER September 9, 2019, ISSUE 1311

Made with FlippingBook Annual report