Articles - Page 27 of 47

Wait! Eight Reasons You Shouldn’t Submit That Proposal

By Andrew Sobel You’ve probably starred in this drama before. A prospective client calls, interviews you for 20 or 30 minutes on the phone, and then asks you to submit a proposal. Sensing they are too junior to hire you, you try and set up a meeting with their boss. You’re told, “He’s asked me […]

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The Six Paradoxes of the Successful Client Advisor

Paradox: "a person or thing exhibiting apparently contradictory characteristics" In studying great client advisors all over the world, it has always struck me how pardoxical the role of trusted advisor is. Those who are best at it manage to balance a series of inherent tensions. Six Paradoxes 1. Product/Relationship There is always a tension between […]

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11 Relationship-Building Pitfalls That You Must Avoid

11 Pitfalls to Avoid in Client Relationships Experience is the best teacher, and that’s why the tuition is often high. Here are 11 common pitfalls that professionals fall into when advising clients. I’m personally quite familiar with these mistakes because I’ve made most of them at one time or another in my career! At best, […]

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Managing Your Three Relationship Time Horizons

Winning new revenue in the short term while building relationships for the future Have you felt this way? “I know I’ve got to make these investments in building long-term relationships, but I keep getting consumed fighting fires on a day-to-day basis” “We’re under pressure to get revenue now, this quarter—it’s hard to balance that with […]

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How Do You Pick Good Clients to Begin With

Picking Good Clients to Begin With With think a lot about how to build strong client relationships, but often don’t spend much time focusing on how to make sure we are getting the right clients in the first place. What is a good client? This ideal client varies for different people, but I think there […]

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10 Questions You Should Ask Your Clients Every Year

Keep Your Client Relationships Healthy Last month we looked at the indicators of client relationship health. Now, here are the questions you should ask your clients directly. A client of mine recently told me about how he had dodged death twice. The story of the first time is especially hair-raising, but I must save it […]

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9 Strategies to Stay in Touch When There’s No Business

It’s a simple but powerful exercise: Write down the names of the 20 or 25 most important individuals you need to develop and grow a relationship with. Draw the names from a variety of categories. Include clients, prospects, influencers, colleagues, and others that you need to help you succeed. When I ask executive groups to […]

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Four Winning Strategies for Four Different Sales Meetings

THERE are more contradictory opinions about how to handle an executive sales conversation than there are about how to reduce the government deficit. In the last year, I have heard all of these statements about the “right way” to sell to top executives: “You have to start right away with good questions. Your focus should […]

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