The journey to "Delighted Client"

I had a chance the other day to reflect on where we are trying to get to in a particular client relationship. We have delivered on the initial phase of our work and I am preparing to meet with the executive board to discuss further opportunities in the New Year.
Instead of just going back to our proposal I wanted to develop what we have learnt since starting work with them, and in particular how we can develop a mutual goal in terms of sustainable cost and purchase management, rather than just savings.

The more I think about it the more I realise that the client development process is relative only to the strategic intent of both ourselves and, most importantly, the client. What I mean is the extent to which each side sees value from putting more effort into the relationship. Obviously the higher the strategic intent the greater the envisioned results and therefore the greater effort applied.

Effort can be categorised in two ways: firstly an increase in points of contact, ie moving from a simple 1:1 relationship through to a more complex, team on team basis. Secondly, the nature of the relationships will move from a 'transactional' basis towards a genuine mutually beneficial one - where we are working towards joint objectives.

So what tools can we use to help guide us as to where we want to go? There can be 4 models of relationship we could aim for, remembering that we need to be driven by our understanding of the strategic intent of the client, which in itself means we have to ask good questions and really listen to the answers.

The 4 models I have used in the past include:

1. Bow Tie
2. One on many
3. Cotton Reel
4. Diamond

Whilst it will appear that these are just business speak clichés, in reality they are a great way of mapping where we are going with a specific client and also to direct the way we continue to grow with the client.
In my next post I will try to explore each model so that we get a clear view of each one.

The need for mutuality
Just a word of caution to this though - no particular model can be forced onto a client so in this sense the model you get is the one you deserve.
This will need a great deal of patience on our part as it is not unusual for our strategic intent to be way ahead of the clients!
At our recent conference we heard from a client who is not only delighted by us but also introduces us to other businesses and he gave us a list of why he is a delighted client, he used the acronym TRUST meaning Time, Risk Free, Understanding, Specialists and Trust itself. This last point is important for us to recognise - that they have to trust us through the actions we deliver first before any development can take place. Powerful insights that are invaluable to us.