You’re Hired! Winning New Work From Established Clients

Wow, you’re brave! We’ve all been through it, but who would blog about it?

It happened to me, too. I’m a Trixie!

Thanks for posting this, from one consultant to another.

The name “Trixie” makes me think of a pole dancer–I can read no further.

This is just a small sampling of the reaction to my July blog post titled “You’re Fired! Four Important Consultant Reminders.” I am pleased to say that Trixie has taken her own advice and now steers clear of low paying, low value work. And, although pole dancing has never been part of my repertoire, I am indeed the real Trixie.

As I wait to participate in a conference call with a long-term international customer, I am reminded of ways to both stay hired and develop new work opportunities.

How do we keep clients coming back for more? Consider the following:

1. Start by establishing a professional relationship based on reasonable fees and deadlines. Ensure that your cost and time estimates are realistic at the outset of your relationship. This establishes credibility and reasonable expectations.
2. Delight the client with outstanding work. Meeting or exceeding customer expectations by providing high quality work, on time and within budget, is key to establishing trust and credibility. For example, a simple request to edit a CEO document morphed into a multi-brochure writing assignment because the customer liked my original work. This in turn developed into the content creation for a large, global web site for the same customer. Lucky me!
3. Treat good customers like they are your only customers. Respond as quickly as possible to e-mails, phone calls and requests for information. And remember: The last thing a client wants to hear is “I’ll call you right after this client call,” or “I’ve been so busy with a global project for XYZ company.” Instead, say “I’ll get back to you by 2 p.m. today,” or “I know you have an urgent need, and it’s my priority.” They don’t want to know your problems, and to share  them in any way suggests you do not have the capacity to do their work.
4. Develop personal relationships. I know that my international asset integrity management client is writing a novel, and a law firm client goes kayaking with his family. In turn, most of my clients know I’m married, with three children and a hectic but enriching personal life. This kind of interpersonal give-and-take comes with time, but do make the time, when appropriate, to get to know your customers. It is not only rewarding, but it allows you to follow up on personal items to keep you on their minds for additional work. (If you know of any good articles on kayaking, please send them my way!)
5. Mine for opportunities. In day to day discussions, ask your clients how they are doing and what work pressures they are experiencing…or, about new corporate strategies and how they impact the bottom line. Your goal is to discreetly mine for ways to offer value to the client while developing new business opportunities.

These are just a few ways to win new work from existing customers. Don’t hesitate to ask for referrals, either! Customers are happy to help service providers whom they know and value. Ask your customers for two to three referrals they would be willing to introduce you to, either electronically or in person, and then follow up with those prospective clients. Referrals are key to finding new work, and a customer’s vote of confidence gives you an advantage over your competitors.

Here’s to being hired, as opposed to fired. If it doesn’t work out, there’s always pole dancing to fall back on.

Good luck!

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