Wanting to establish better relationships and trust with your clients, just think of baseball!
When talking to a consultant recently about getting our brand managers to focus on our client relationships, he said, “Oh, that’s easy, I know you’re a sports fan, so think of it like baseball.” Upon further conversation, I learned establishing good relationships and trust with clients, are in fact much like playing America’s favorite past time.
Of course you start at home plate. Home plate is where you start building the relationship. It’s here where you’re finding commonalities and building a trust with your client. Find ways to engage them that aren’t only about the business. Finding those things helps you understand where your client is coming from when you’re dealing with them in business. For example, if you find out a client doesn’t like change, while building the relationship you’ll know how to handle a situation with that client that involves change. The relationship and understanding you’ve established with that client will help you approach the situation. This understanding, ultimately gains the trust of your client.
Now as in baseball, you can’t get to first, without completing the task at home plate (or hitting the ball). But once you make it to first, your goal here is to find out what needs and pains your client has within their business. On first, have conversations about what the client desires to improve or completely change. Is it an awareness issue? Do they need more sales? Making sure you understand the needs and issues combined with the relationship you started at home plate, makes you a valuable asset to your client. The more times you run the bases for your client, the easier it is to recognize what your client needs and get out in front of those needs.
So you’ve rounded first by identifying a need/challenge, now you’re on your way to second. Second is all about the dollars. What is the budget needed for your client to solve the challenge. You get to your budget by figuring out all the objectives, strategies and tactics needed to solve the problem. Again, the better the relationship you’ve established at home plate the easier to present and gain approval from your client. If you have the relationship and trust of your client and have a solid basis for your recommendation, you shouldn’t lose any momentum rounding second and heading to third.
You’ve made it to third base. You’ve identified your clients challenge, you’ve presented your solution now you’re at third, here’s where you gain your client’s approval and execute. Flawless execution is a huge part of keeping the trust in the relationship strong. Say what you’re going to do and do it. You’re executing and the third base coach is waving you in, you’re almost back to home.
To score requires touching home plate. You’ve made it around the diamond. But at home plate you have to show your results and you can only do that by measuring your recommended solution. Showing results whether good or bad allows you another chance “at bat.”
So, the next time you’re thinking of your clients, think “batter up!!”
