… do everything you can do help them.
When you show that you sincerely care, your clients can tell and will appreciate you for it with more business and referrals. Unfortunately, in most interactions, the natural tendency is to think more about what you want than how you might be able to help and care for your client.
Some quick ways to recognize when you’re more focused on yourself are:
- Impressing others by deliberately showing them how hard you work or how prepared or smart you are
- Hiding a mistake or blaming others to protect your image of perfection
- Defaulting to silence as opposed to asking a “dumb” question when you really don’t know
- Shying away from the dirty work that’s beyond your level or pay grade
To become memorable to your clients, you want to overcome three main fears that Patrick Lencioni outlines in his book, Getting Naked:
Fear of Losing the Business
No one likes losing business. That’s why it’s so natural to shy away from being the bearer of bad news even when it’s necessary. To set yourself apart, you want to focus less on your needs to win or keep the business and more on what will help your clients reach their outcomes. Let the goal of helping guide your actions. This may mean speaking up when you know something is wrong or sharing your best ideas even at the risk of your client/prospect using it as opposed to hiring you.
Fear of Being Embarrassed
Rarely will you find someone looking to embarrass themselves. That’s why we laugh at jokes we don’t understand when others are laughing and we stay quiet and nod when someone says something that we don’t fully understand. Those who are self-confident, know that it’s better to ask and be clear than to feign understanding and assume with uncertainty. Although you do run the risk of certain people judging you for a “bad” question, your clients are better off when you clearly understand what’s happening as opposed to appearing to understand.
The same goes for when you share your ideas as well. Better to suggest them and run the risk of it being shot down than not to share at all. Now if your ideas are constantly being criticized and rejected, you may have a competency issue.
Fear of Being Inferior
As a high-performer, you prepare hard to avoid mistakes and to rise above your competition. That’s why it’s difficult for you to be placed in a situation where you’re taking the blame for your client or doing the nitty-gritty work that you feel is beneath you. When it comes to serving your client, the main theme that helps you overcome all this fear and all of the other fears is to focus on your client. What does your client need from you right now and how can you give that to them.
One guiding principle that stuck with me from a Disney leadership workshop I attended is :
“It may not be our fault, but it is our problem.”
If you’re wired to look for and solve your client’s problems above all else, they’ll remember you for a long time.
Photo by Christopher Michel
