Three words that you don’t generally
don’t like to hear
when dealing with
Business Retention
These are
all words we have all heard before and there are no surprises. While they may make you anxious and force you
into action you need to know where to start, below are the words and some
starting points for all of them.
·
Reorganization – This means new structure or new and
different players in your client’s business.
Going back to square one and developing solid business relationships
takes time and this is an uncertain environment now.
You need to ask yourself three immediate questions:
1. Who is in my web of influence today?
2. Am I missing any key influencers?
3. Who should be in my web of three to
six months from now?
This is the time to start planning for the client’s new look. This could be the best thing for you and your
business as it can signal the right people moving in the right direction with
the opportunity for the right relationships.
You won’t know until you have developed a business relationship with the
new key players so relax and move ahead.
·
Interim – This is a tough word because you
don’t know what it means. Will the
person be holding the fort for months until a new person is named, will it be
for a year or more, or will it mean the person is trying out for the position
as the permanent person.
Don’t make assumptions, either way.
Don’t let yourself act on you perceptions of how your business will be
impacted. Learn the person’s attitudes,
degree of engagement, and expectations and do it sooner than later.
·
The Rubber Stamp – You’ve heard this before, “Once we get this
done, my boss will rubber stamp everything.
She doesn’t really get involved.”
The best thing to do when this is said is to assume that it isn’t
true. Decision makers won’t necessarily
attend meetings, be visible, or engaged in the operation. You should never underestimate their interest
or involvement. It might surprise
you.
Some final thoughts:
A. Cultivate relationships with people
in your clients organization who know what’s going on. A good Coach is priceless.
B. Changes in people in any organization
bring possible impact. Find out if they
will have any influence on your business as quickly as possible.
C. All your business plans for any
client need to be flexible enough to be modified as changes occur as you know
will always be possible. Focus on the
big picture and offer initiatives and ideas for smoother change.