Connecting with Clients

For stronger, more rewarding and longer-lasting client relationships

Paul Cowan

• Publisher: Harriman House
• Year: 2021
• ISBN:
  9780857198600
• Topic: Negocios y empresa
• Subtopic: Marketing
• Index: Marketing

CLIENT RELATIONSHIPSFinding some clients difficult to understand?Confused when they say one thing but mean another?Need better, more useful feedback?Sometimes feel on the back-foot?Have trouble managing client expectations?Wonder why they seem impossible to please?Concerned about being blind-sided by unexpected client loss?THIS BOOK IS YOUR LIFELINEConnecting with Clients contains new ideas derived from the world's leading relationship expertsInsights from over 500, 000 pieces of client feedback worldwideWith tips and guidance from an adman, organisational change agent, couples' counsellor and co-founder of The Client Relationship ConsultancyDip into short chapters and discover a valuable insight on every pageREJUVENATE YOUR CLIENT RELATIONSHIPSWith the help of this book, you will be able to: Evaluate your client relationships and diagnose issuesRecognise your part in a problemObtain useful and clear feedbackUnderstand, relate to and communicate with your clientsManage yourself and your team membersGet the best from your clients so that they get the best from youCONNECTING WITH CLIENTS WILL SAVE YOU TIME, EFFORT AND MONEY AND MAKE LIFE MORE ENJOYABLE.

CRITICAL VOICE IN YOUR HEAD? Four Liberating Questions.1

The chief executive was over-stressed.2

He looked tired, was slightly tubbier around the waist than usual and the tension in his face highlighted the bags under his eyes. His voice sounded strained and held a slight edge of frustration.

His client, in stark contrast, looked thinner, younger and more alive than ever.

The CEO had become distanced from colleagues – he seemed too burdened to connect with them. Important decisions took him longer to make, his management team drained him; they needed strong and firm direction. He listened to everybody as carefully as ever, but meetings exhausted him.

Most of all he listened to his own voice, which criticised him for not being on top of everything, for failing to manage the key issues, for delaying decisions, for allowing his team to fall apart.

The CEO listened dutifully to his internal critical voice, which told him to do better, work harder, be a better dad and husband.

He listened to his internal voice being critical of people around him and felt frustrated by them. Even those to whom he would normally turn towards for support made him feel slightly irritable.

And he criticised his own anger, blaming himself for not working hard enough or being good enough.

So he worked harder, didn’t give himself enough time off to relax and entered a vicious cycle.

Listening to his own critical voice was his only error.

It’s likely that more than 10% of people have a tendency to be more self-critical than others.3 If you are wondering whether this is you, it may be difficult to recognise your pattern because it’s the water you swim in every day. After all, only flying fish get to take a look at their everyday environment from time to time.

But, just say you recognise a pattern of work before pleasure; you notice yourself feeling peeved or a tad frustrated when others don’t live up to your expectations; you experience a physical tension under pressure; and you have a voice in your head telling you what’s right or wrong, how to improve and beating you up if you make a mistake. If you do all, or some, of these things, then it is likely you will be more easily trapped by a vicious, self-perpetuating cycle.

The CEO’s stress did not reflect reality. Rather, it reflected the suffering inside his mind.

There’s a simple process for freeing ourselves of the thoughts that make us suffer.1

Write down your stressful thoughts and then ask yourself the following four questions:

Question 1: Is this critical thought true?

This question could change your life. Be still and ask yourself if the thought you wrote down is true.

Question 2: Can you absolutely know it’s true?

This is an opportunity to open your mind and go deeper – into possibly unknown areas – to find the answers that live beneath what we think we know.

Question 3: How do you react – what happens – when you believe that thought?

Notice internal cause and effect. You may find that when you believe the thought there is a disturbance that can range from mild discomfort to frustration or fear.

What do you feel?

And, when you believe that thought, how do you treat the person (or the situation) you’ve written about? How do you treat yourself?

Make a list and be specific.

Question 4: Who would you be without the thought?...