Welcome Professionals…

…Every great client relationship has its root in a moment of truth. There are some good relationships that can do without such special opportunities. But all great client bonding typically links back to a moment of truth.

For this to happen, three things must come together. Firstly, a client with a rational task of high importance. Secondly, an emotionally intense situation, like a feeling under pressure. Thirdly and finally, a consultant who can help.

But as a consultant you need to be careful. Only if you help with generosity, you will win a client for a lifetime. If you exploit the situation, the client is likely not to call you again.

Here is one of my real life examples for illustration. One of my colleagues had recruited a candidate for a joint client of ours. He had charged the maximum fee for this mandate. But the candidate turned out not to be suited and was dismissed soon after. By this time, my colleague had already left our company and took all revenue credits with him. The client now turned to me and asked for a reparation. There was no guarantee clause within the contract and we all knew this.

The client was under high pressure. The responsible HR person had obviously made a bad deal. He had accepted a candidate which turned out to be a failure, paid a fortune as a success fee for a consultant who was not in business any more, and had overlooked to form a decent contract with a guarantee clause.

What could I have done? I could have insisted that it wasn’t my fault, which would have looked silly. I could have negotiated to charge a fraction of the original fee for my help which would have been unsatisfying for both of us. I decided to make a generous investment.

I said I would make it a guarantee case on my own. I would do the full mandate again for free and guarantee full satisfaction. The client was stunned. I had not yet finished the work, when an additional assignment came. Since then, we have been partners on many further projects. I am really glad we had this moment of truth.

Yours truly

Malte

Thursday Night Flight is brought to you by Malte Müller Professionals. Sharing best practices for top management consultants on topics like communication, client handling, problem solving, appearance, and fitness. Check out www.mm-professionals.com for more material and free resources!