This Simple Client Engagement Reframe Will Boost Your Confidence
It will also build your business.
In my early 20s, I was a head-hunter in the burgeoning hotel and tourism sector in Dublin.
My role was to build my client base and bring in fees. It was my first job after university and I was fired up to prove myself. The training was good, there were templates to follow, and I was putting in the work.
But I wasn’t getting results. Worst of all, my confidence and enthusiasm was eroding daily. My 3-month probation was looming, and I was desperate to figure out what I needed to do differently.
In the morning, I’d cold-call potential clients, usually hotel managers. I’d attempt to pique interest with a thumbnail description of an outstanding candidate. We’d discuss possible vacancies.
My objective was to agree a retainer fee of 33% for filling a specific role. This was always a stumbling block. Typical recruitment rates, at that time, were 10%-15%.
Why should I pay double, or treble, the going rate for your candidates, potential clients demanded.
I’d practiced my response to this inevitable question. Every morning started with the mandatory sales meeting and the how-to sessions. Managing client objections was one of those.
I’d come out with my rote reply. Excellent candidates, a proven track record, not actively looking. It was true. The candidates really were excellent.
I knew this because my afternoons were spent speaking with them. Executive chefs. Sommeliers. Maître d’s. I’d whip through 50+ calls daily to experienced professionals in prestigious roles in big hotels.
Some were happy where they were, had never considered moving. Most were flattered to get the call, to hear about other possibilities. Sometimes, they’d recommend someone else for the role. Others were tempted. They were ready for the next challenge.
My response didn’t cut it with clients. Despite the calibre of the candidates, I couldn’t get past the retainer fee.
My colleagues were all seasoned professionals. Decades of industry experience between them. For them, it looked so easy.
They already had impressive client books and strong professional relationships. Their phone calls were more like friendly catch-ups. Enquiries about the client’s family. Loose arrangements to meet for pints. Re-hashing the Sunday game.
They closed calls, high-fived each other and rang the sales bell. Then they added their fees to the scoreboard.
The scoreboard featured each of our names above a split column. Fees agreed in green, fees paid in black. My colleagues’ columns were a busy scribble of figures.
My scoreboard was excruciatingly bare. My boss took to coming to my desk to “coach” me on client calls. This involved him standing there, head to one side listening intently, as I pitched clients. After each call, he’d enumerate all the things he would do differently.
For someone else, it might have been helpful, motivational even. For me, already anxious about my performance, it was a disaster. It unsettled me to such a degree that I’d stumble over what I had to say. My voice would quaver. Needless to say, this didn’t instil confidence in potential clients.
Then I went to my first client's meeting. Over coffee served in china cups, I began my prepared spiel about how we worked. Our company, our search process, why choose us.
The hotel manager sipped his coffee and nodded politely. He invited me on a tour of his hotel. As we walked across the polished marble foyer, he shared his aspirations, the visitors he hoped to attract, the amenities he wanted to add.
It was a light bulb moment for me. It completely reframed how I engaged with clients. I needed to focus first on the client’s needs and desired outcomes. How I could support them and partner with them along their journey.
My accompanying realisation was equally impactful. I needed to back myself. Yes, I was younger and less experienced, sometimes by decades, than my colleagues and potential clients. So what?! I was the expert in my area.
Hours of speaking with industry professionals about their desired career trajectories had given me a breadth and depth of industry insight that others didn’t have. It was up to me to leverage that.
I stayed in that role for two further years. I went on to build a successful desk. I rang that sales bell many times. Most of all, understanding how to reframe client engagements has been instrumental in my career to date.
I’ve had the opportunity to pay forward what I learnt in two distinct ways.
As a corporate trainer, I run practice sessions with colleagues preparing for client pitches. As well as focusing on the technical aspects of the client pitch, we hone in on the consultant/client relationship. Information on company resources and consultants’ skill sets and experience must be highlighted through the lens of how it adds value for the client.
As an associate lecturer, I’ve taught Consultancy Skills to Msc students in Business and Strategy. Becoming a client’s trusted advisor (Maister, Green, Galford) is central to the curriculum. The key to professional success is technical mastery combined with the ability to work with clients so that you have their trust and they have confidence in you.
In consultancy, as in life, reframing the context to demonstrate your interest in others and willingness to help, creates richer possibilities.
