Resign the Account: Renewing Your Key Client Relationships

By Andrew Sobel

No doubt about it, complacency is the enemy of the educated professional. Most of you have good clients, are sought after for your expertise and experience, and are well remunerated. And sometimes, you get complacent – you don¹t push quite as hard as you did at the beginning of the relationship. You no longer treat your clients, well, like newlyweds (at least metaphorically!).

A good friend of mine, who is a global account director for a leading advertising agency, has a creative and bold solution to this problem: He resigns each of his client accounts at the end of the year. Literally, resigns.

Hold on – he¹s nuts, you say! Not as crazy as you think. Let’s seize on this idea as a metaphor for how you can renew your client relationships each year. It will soon be a new year, and the fourth quarter is an excellent time to have these discussions with your clients. Let’s catalogue a few of the practical things you can do to avoid complacency and sustain your most precious commodity as a professional – your key client relationships.

Resign the account.

My friend really does sit down with each client and do this. In his case, he is backed by a large organization, and there is indeed the possibility of bringing in a new account executive or relationship manager (I realize that not every reader will have this luxury, but bear with me!).

Obviously, this is a delicate discussion and you need to use your own unique language and phrasing in the conversation. For example: “I’m giving you my resignation, as it were, as your account executive/relationship manager. I want to discuss what your needs look like going into next year, and whether or not it makes sense for me to still play that role”; or, “I may no longer be the right person to head this team, and I want to give you the opportunity to consider having someone else take my place”; or, “I want you to have the right person, for you, as the relationship executive from my firm, so let’s discuss whether it still makes sense for me to play this role.” And so on.

In most cases, as you might imagine, the reaction of the client is, “But I really want you to continue to advise us!” The point is not to elicit praise – although that will probably be forthcoming in many cases – but to provoke a deeper discussion about the client’s needs and preferences. It also demonstrates what I call “Selfless Independence” – that uncommon blend of devotion and detachment. To offer to step aside – in a relaxed, confident tone of voice – can be a powerful display of the very objectivity that clients seek in a trusted advisor.

Short of “resigning” your role with the client, what else can you do to reinvigorate the relationship and have a fresh discussion about your client’s needs?

Review the past year with your client.

Schedule a formal appointment to discuss how things have gone during this past year. Be specific when you schedule this time – say something simple like, “I’d like get your feedback on our relationship and the work we’ve (I’ve) done over the last year, and also talk about your needs going forward.”

In that meeting, ask a few, well thought-out questions. Start with some open-ended questions, and then get more specific. Depending on your situation, you’ll use either “I” or “We.” For example:

“From your perspective, how has our work with you gone this year?”
“What have we done that has been most valuable to you?”
“Have there been some things that have been less valuable or had less impact than was hoped for?”
“Do we listen well? Are we sufficiently responsive?”
“Is there anything that comes to mind that would make our relationship easier and more effective for you?”
“What could we do to be more valuable to you and your organization?”
“What are your priorities for the coming year?”
“Looking ahead, are there particular issues that you¹d like us to reflect on or to engage around for you?”

Go deep into a topic of interest to your client.

What is on your clients’ professional and personal agenda? What particular goals do they have? Are there topics of special interest to them? Invest some time (do some research and reading) and plan a session with your client around the topic.
I recall one CFO who said to me, “You know, we're very return-on-capital focused in this company, but none of our bankers ever really picked up on that. One particular bank took a very deep dive into this subject. They prepared, and they came up and ran a session with us where they dug deeply into all the various issues around return-on-capital. That was the catalyst that really took their relationship with us to another level.”

How often do outside professionals take the time to do this? Not very often, I am told by clients themselves. On the contrary: One CEO said to me “A lot of consultants and other professionals will come to talk with me, and they basically ask me, “What are you working on that we could help you with?” Not exactly inspiring, shall we say. Remember, you don’t have to earn your PhD in a subject to bring it up with your client. A bit of reflection on your part, possibly some interesting data, and good questions can go a long, long way toward a discussion that will be valuable for both of you.

Introduce a colleague.

Our own real and perceived (by the client) expertise will always gate or limit the breadth of a given relationship. What other people and resources from your firm can you productively introduce to your client? Clients tell me that they are usually quite open to learning about a given firm’s broader capabilities, but that what brings this to life is meeting an individual who embodies that expertise or experience. You can talk all you want about what great capabilities your company has, but it usually doesn’t resonate with clients until they have made a personal connection with someone.

Create face time together in an entirely new setting.

A lot of the most effective advising takes place outside the office, and for some of your client relationships, it may be the right time to organize face time in a completely different locale than you are accustomed to.

I cannot tell you exactly where this should be, since it depends on the client’s interests and preferences, and also what your relationship is like. Possibilities could include a meal together at a restaurant, a sporting or cultural event, going out for coffee for a change of scenery, creating a family event together, going skiing (I’ve done this with several of my clients who share a love for skiing), attending a charity event that you are both interested in, going to a lecture or seminar, and so on.

Plan next year together.

Some people are afraid of doing this because it seems “salesy” or overly commercial. But the truth is, to sit down with a client with the express purpose of planning your agenda for next year shows interest, dedication, and also self-confidence. The conversation could be highly specific and operational; e.g., you talk about specific matters or programs you’re going to work on, or it could stay at an “issues” level; e.g., you identify key issues of interest to your client that the two of you agree you and your firm will spend some time on.

Explore an area of your client’s life and personality that you aren't familiar with.

How much do you really know about your client, on a professional and personal level? Where did he grow up? Who were her role models? How many siblings does he have, and what do they do? What abiding personal interests does she have? What non-profits are dear to his heart?

Remember, mutual disclosure is a key part of empathy. By sharing a new aspect of your own life with a client, chances are he or she will reciprocate. As this year comes to a close, think about getting to know your client on a new level.

Resigning the account is a bold move, and it may only be appropriate for a few, well-chosen relationships. But short of that, there are clearly many ways you can renew a relationship and bring it to the next level.

Andrew Sobel is the leading authority on client relationships and the skills and strategies required to earn enduring client and customer loyalty. He is coauthor of Clients for Life: How Great Professionals Development Breakthrough Relationships (Simon & Schuster). He can be reached at (505) 982-0211 or by e-mail at andrew@andrewsobel.com www.andrewsobel.com

Published in Networking Today, December 2005.