Did you know that you are actually in the stress reduction business? Your profession is often spoken of as rewarding and fulfilling, but hardly ever referred to as stress-reducing. But your work actually decreases stress—for your clients.

The Research

I came across a large study that found how financial stress affects both mental and physical health. In fact, the authors discovered that stressing over money was tied to long term, adverse changes in health; greater than bereavement, illness and divorce. Specifically, the researchers found that “financial strain was associated with the riskiest health profiles in the long run.”

Your Clients

Stressing over money is what your clients do every day, which is why they rely on you to give them a true picture of their financial position and data to make informed decisions.

While your reports, schedules and documents make perfect sense to you, don’t assume your clients understand all the nuances and ramifications. They may over or under-emphasize certain aspects of their financial position. They may pay too much attention to something that isn’t as relevant as other items they neglect. You have an opportunity to direct them to what is most important and what to do about it.

Sometimes, clients demonstrate their stress by appearing to be short, harsh or difficult. These are sure signs that they are anxious and feel out of control, not knowing what to do. Other times, they may put their heads in the sand and procrastinate, hoping to avoid facing reality. Don’t be fooled into believing you and your work don’t matter. Your contributions are critical and necessary.

Your Profession

Yes, yours is a noble profession in ways you may not have considered. It’s one where your deliverables and conversations provide assurance to your clients, reducing the mental and physical impact of stress. Therefore, you can hold your head high and, with humble gratitude, be proud of yourself, your firm and your noble profession.

The post Your Noble Profession appeared first on Partners Coach by Guy Gage.

If there was a single frustration that managers face on a regular basis, it is that clients don’t submit their information for projects in a timely manner. As a result, projects are delayed, schedules are compressed and budgets are blown. And no one is happy because everyone experiences unmet expectations.

And yet, too often, managers may contribute to the frustration they experience. In the name of client service, being flexible and understanding client situations, they inadvertently create the mess they dislike.

Know Expectations

One of the four principles to create a distinctive client experience is to know and meet their expectations. Your clients have expectations about everything, whether you ask about them or not. Sometimes they don’t even know what they are until they aren’t met, then it becomes clear that they have them.

Just because your clients have expectations, it doesn’t mean that you must agree to them. If they are unreasonable or you are unable to meet them, negotiate a better arrangement that both of you can live with. Only then are on the hook to meet them.

Examples of Expectations

Following the Distinctive Client Experience training in the Partner-Pipeline®, our follow up coaching calls allow us to hear how managers are using what they learned. Here are some of their responses.

I’m having fee discussions with clients now. I’m writing out what to say and will start asking more questions to understand their side.

I’m having awkward conversations about higher fees with merged clients and setting new expectations.

Setting expectations with clients up front has been huge. My goal this year is to move from processing information to implementing at a system level: setup, timelines, organization, structure, schedule.

We just had a senior manager leave the firm, so there is a lot of client transition. I found out that some clients were not happy with a new team, so I’m resetting expectations going forward.

I haven’t used the skills yet, but I will ask about expectations during preliminary meetings.

I totally have put those skills into practice. I used to allow clients to drop the ball and then I took responsibility for it. Now I keep after them for information to be fair to us. Also, staying within scope in years past has been a problem, so I’m clarifying the project’s boundaries.

I have to say that I was encouraged by the resolve the managers had in knowing, negotiating and meeting expectations. They, their staff and their clients will all benefit from this approach.

Your Expectations

How about you? Are you being nudged to know and meet your clients’ expectations in a deeper way? Are you willing to have upfront discussions about your expectations and asking the about theirs? Because everyone has expectations.

The post Everyone Has Expectations appeared first on Partners Coach by Guy Gage.

When you are in a position of being served by another, have you noticed the different approaches they take? I’ve been particularly attentive recently to those who are serving me: restaurant servers, repair personnel, store clerks, etc. Regardless of the setting, I have found an interesting mix of approaches to their service. Some actually serve like they care.

Most Servers

Just because someone is in a serving profession, doesn’t mean they are fully engaged. For example, some do the minimum: take the order, ask a few questions, answer a few questions. Then they are off to do what they do. In other words, they are doing their job, enough so that no one can claim they aren’t.

Then there are others who do what they do because it’s their profession. They take pride in their work. The clients they serve are the next ones for whom to practice their craft. They put forth effort to learn and grow to be better. Generally, they enjoy what they do because they like their work. Clients of these professionals acknowledge that their “servers” are good at what they do. And for these servers, that’s good enough.

A Few Servers

But there are a few who demonstrate something different. They serve like they care. In addition to the first two approaches, they take it to the next level, such that their customers or clients know they care. It really is different from the other two. So how do they show it?

There are probably numerous practices that set them apart, but a very obvious one is that they are fully present. They are attentive, accessible and responsive; not because it’s their responsibility, but because their customers matter to them. They are empathetic to their customers’ situations. They acknowledge when something isn’t right and really want to help.

You can tell by their tone because it connects them to their client’s emotional state. You’ve heard it said that it’s not what you say, but how you say it. So true. For instance, take a restaurant server who says, “I’m really sorry that your meals are taking longer than expected. I am watching for them and will bring them out as soon as they are up.”

Can you hear the different tones of each of the three approaches? The “just my job” servers say the right words, but with a “whatever” attitude. It is simply a matter-of-fact comment that conveys the message, “just sit tight and it will happen when it happens.”

For the professional, there may have a tinge of blame or defensiveness. “It’s not my fault. I don’t know why it’s taking so long. If you only knew what I’ve been through, you would understand.”

But for the one who cares, the attitude is truly empathetic. Their clients are more than recipients of their work. Their tone expresses an attitude of genuine concern. They are truly sorry for the delay and genuinely communicate it. They are willing to experience the situation from their client’s point of view and do what they can to solve it.

You As A Server

Since we are in the serving profession, we are susceptible to each of these. The approach we choose may depend on who the clients are, our own stress level, and a host of other things at play in our world. But none of these are known by them. All they know is our approach to serving them.

This week, pay particular attention to how you serve your clients, both internally and externally. Stand apart from the other approaches and serve like you care.

The post Serve Like You Care appeared first on Partners Coach by Guy Gage.

Whenever you do what you’re trained to do, it’s nice to know that it was helpful and made a difference. For instance, it is always our hope that Partner-Pipeline training and coaching makes a difference in the lives of our clients. So you can imagine how we elated we were when a manager told us that he and some others who participated in one of our courses on Positive Client Relations was the best they have attended. Very gratifying.

Awkward Situations

The course is based on the reality that managers periodically experience awkward, uncomfortable situations with clients that they feel ill-equipped to handle. Situations include when clients delay sending their information for an upcoming engagement, when clients expect them to perform additional work outside the scope of the engagement, or when they question their fees, among others. Not knowing what to say makes these exchanges so troublesome. That is what the course was about and what the managers found so helpful.

When one of these situations arises, a manager’s natural tendency (and too many partners!) is to forego what is best in order to please the client. The primacy of maintaining client harmony inclines them to settle for actions that are less favorable to them, their staff and the firm.

For example, one of the common issues cited was around scope creep. Over the years, some clients submit their information that is incomplete or inaccurate. Rather than create a potentially confrontational moment by notifying the client about the shortcomings, managers, in the name of client service, will go the extra mile to fix the mess so the project can continue—and avoid any conflict. Clients soon assume that cleaning up their messes is part of the engagement, when it is actually another engagement altogether.

Adverse Impact

When managers choose to yield to the clients’ misbehavior, it creates other problems. For instance, when information from clients is delayed, it causes workload compression because the deadlines don’t move. So everyone’s schedules are affected, requiring extended hours. Time and dollar budgets are blown and no one is happy. The inconveniences are significant. Multiply this situation over numerous clients and it’s no wonder that busy seasons are so brutal.

Please note that there are times and situations where flexing to help clients is the right thing to do and is a true demonstration of a distinctive client experience. But don’t acquiesce just to avoid uncomfortable conversations. Instead, expand your repertoire of skills to have meaningful discussions that protect your boundaries and retain positive client relations.

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No professional likes to have clients who don’t appreciate them or value their work. When there is friction or misunderstanding, the work becomes more difficult simply because of who the work is for. That’s why maintaining or restoring positive client relationships is such an important competency.

Difficult Clients

But it’s hardly ever the case that clients intend to be difficult. They only want what they expect. When they don’t get it, they are disappointed and may become…well…”difficult.” The question becomes whether their expectations are ones you are able to meet. Sometimes yes; sometimes no.

Sometimes we forget that clients have expectations about everything, even if they don’t tell us or we fail to ask about. Just because we don’t know about them, doesn’t mean we aren’t expected to meet them, even the ones we never agreed to.

Prevent Difficulty

One very simple and easy practice to eliminate client disappointment is to ask them about what expectations are really important to them. “Besides the obvious expectations of accuracy, timeliness and efficiency, is there anything else we should know about?” This inquiry is appropriate for new and existing client engagements. If you don’t ask, you won’t know, and it establishes a stronger trust relationship.

There are many client meetings being held over the next two months for year-end planning. These are opportune times to clarify expectations for the spring engagements. These meetings are one of the few contacts you have with them where you aren’t requesting information. Build your trust relationships by demonstrating that you care about meeting their expectations.

Establish Trust

How difficult would it be to include a question about their expectations in your meetings this fall? Establishing trust relationships with your clients is such an important competency.

The post Such An Important Competency appeared first on Partners Coach by Guy Gage.

As I pondered a relevant message to write, I thought about the last few months and all of the effort you put in to serving them. At times, your work has been overwhelming in volume and complexity. You did all you could to do your best for your clients. In the midst of it all, you hope your clients appreciate and still love you.

Their Understanding

Then my mind shifted to your clients. While you were busy serving them, how did they experience you? Clients mostly understand and are reluctant to bother you because the whole world knows how busy you are. All of the limited access and unresponsiveness are usually accepted as part of the deal.

However, while you were preoccupied with your work, their lives and businesses continued. Their world didn’t stop because you were unavailable, and neither did their issues and concerns. How do they really feel about their questions being delayed and emails ignored? And yet you hope that your clients still love you.

Your Priority

This might be a good time to reconnect, having been dark for so long. What has happened to them and their business for the last several weeks? What issues have they encountered? What concerns have developed that they are struggling with? Make it a priority to speak to them. Zoom or Teams them. Visit them. Somehow, reconnect with them.

When you reconnect, realize that they have been waiting for you. Appreciate that they have held back. Acknowledge that they have been left to fend for themselves. Realize that they may need you all of the year, not some of it.

By reconnecting, you will hopefully regain the positive relationships with your clients, so that you can honestly say that your clients still love you.

The post Do Your Clients Still Love You? appeared first on Partners Coach by Guy Gage.

It is important to know your clients’ goals and aspirations when working on their projects. Without this understanding, your hard work may be undervalued by them and become meaningless and unsatisfying to you.

Two Aspects Of Your Work

Every client project you work on has two dimensions. First, it is an immediate solution to a problem they are unable or unsure how to solve for themselves. Whether it is submitting a document to a government body by a certain date, collecting information for an important decision to be made, filling a skills gap in the client’s organization, or executing routine tasks to ensure they are done correctly, everything you do is solving immediate problems for others.

In addition to solving immediate problems, your work also draws them closer to their ultimate goals and aspirations. While you may view your immediate work as complete and final, it is only a means to an end for them. They are likely to undervalue your deliverables when they forget that your work advances them to what they really want. That is, your work, in and of itself, isn’t as valuable alone as it is when connected to your clients’ aspired goals. As you can imagine, this causes a host of problems related to billings, markdowns, fee resistance and delayed payments.

Know Your Clients’ Goals

So this begs the question: do you know what each of your clients really want? Their goals? Their aspirations? Their challenges? It is necessary to ask them questions about what is important to them. Listen to their energy, enthusiasm and passion. This is what your deliverables get them closer to. Then you will know how your deliverables impact their vision. When you listen, you will learn what is most important to them.

Another reason why it is important to know your clients’ objectives is that, without knowing, the work has less meaning to you. Your projects become nameless, faceless assignments.  It is no wonder that you feel stressed and maybe even burned out. Your work is no longer a solution you are providing to your clients. Instead, your work can slide into mind-numbing, rote and meaningless activity that is void of any satisfaction. 5:00 can’t come soon enough.

This week, find out your client’s aspirations before working on their project. You may not be able to know for every client, but you can for some of them. Therefore, when you are preparing or reviewing a deliverable, meeting with a client to explain your deliverable, or billing your client for the deliverable, remember that your work is so much more than the product itself. Prevent your work from becoming meaningless and unsatisfying by knowing your clients’ goals.

The post Know Your Clients’ Goals appeared first on Partners Coach by Guy Gage.

For the last decade, I’ve encouraged and coached partners and partner groups to maintain a healthy client list. Typically, firms accumulate clients over the years and, as practices have grown, partners have client lists that are out of alignment with their stated vision of who they aspire to be.

This is a partner decision that proves to be challenging for many. For the partners who are struggling with restructuring their client list, here are some considerations that may help with making difficult decisions.

Alignment Considerations

Are you delivering the level of top service you promise your clients? Some clients strain your system when they insist on doing things their way instead of the efficient way of the firm. All the extra effort, additional communication and specific instructions to serve them well actually stress you and your staff beyond what is necessary. These clients typically resist paying for the additional attention, and even if they do pay, they strain the better ways the firm has designed.

Are these clients receptive to and need the services you provide? More partners are becoming aware of the value of clients that have multiple needs. These are the clients that will grow the firm. Once-a-year clients who aren’t interested in or need anything other than a once-a-year touch are a problem. They require the precious resources at the most compressed times of the year. Everyone, especially staff, are keenly aware of this resource drain.

Are you fulfilling your firm’s mission and vision with these clients? Even quick paying, full realization, easy to get along with clients may not be the clients who will grow the firm. Wise business owners are conscious of their client list. There are more considerations than just economic value.

Are your staff growing with challenging work? Staff want to grow, develop and progress in their careers. Staying late and working overtime to do mind-numbing, rote work wears thin and too much of it will have a negative effect on their motivation and retention.

Emotional Considerations

These questions are logical, rational arguments to clean up your client list; ones that you probably already know. But this task is sometimes more than logical. It is emotional. How many of those clients who no longer fit the firm’s profile have been long time relationships? Or have been great clients but your firm has outgrown them? Remember, we are in a relationship business and you don’t want to just slice and dice indiscriminately.

For those few clients, would it be possible for partners to be allotted a certain number of hours for these cases?  Just like some firms allow X hours for community contributions? This would permit partners to retain certain clients that are outside the firm’s ideal client profile. Just a thought.

In the end, being a business owner requires difficult decisions to be made that are beyond personal preference. Maintaining a healthy client list is one of those responsibilities for partners. Find ways of preserving clients who value you, your services, and will grow the firm and your people.

The post A Healthy Client List appeared first on Partners Coach by Guy Gage.

That said, there are some similarities that all clients expect from you. In addition to being technically competent, they also expect you to be there for them. And because clients are playing heftier fees, they are becoming less tolerant of their professionals who take them for granted.

If you review client surveys for the last several years, you will see that what clients want hasn’t changed. There are no surprises. Be accessible. Be responsive. Bring ideas and solutions. Contact them before they have to contact you. Everything you know to do.

If you don’t serve them well, you may be in trouble and don’t know it. Just like your best staff have the most options for employment, your best clients have options for the professionals they choose. All firms want A clients, and your best clients have options besides you.

While you are extremely busy, being too busy for your best clients is hardly an acceptable excuse. It just rings hollow when you say, “Yeah, I’ve been meaning to call you…”

All this in mind, are you on your best client’s cull list? Just like very few of your D clients are aware that you have decided to move along, you are probably in the dark yourself that your best clients are looking around for a provider who will serve them the way they want to be served.

You can avoid being on your A client’s cull list by bringing your A game to them. If you don’t, there are other providers who would love to have them. You grow yourself and your firm with your best clients. The majority of your clients keep you where you are, or worse, hold you back. It’s so tempting to try to serve all clients the same. Even the ones who won’t grow, won’t pay and complain.

Today, take note of the best clients you haven’t touched lately. Do they feel ignored? Taken advantage of? Unimportant to you? If they do, don’t be surprised if you are on their cull list.

Instead, touch base with them. Reconnect. Update them. If nothing else, just check in. Let them know they matter to you. Serve them fully. Because you don’t want to be on their cull list.

The post Your Client’s Cull List appeared first on Partners Coach by Guy Gage.

In a recent coaching call, the manager mentioned that he loves his work. He’s a Business Valuation specialist on his firm’s Mergers & Acquisitions Team. In our conversation, we talked about how his work is so much more than the technical aspect. He said the more challenging part is communicating his findings and results to non-technical people, like lawyers, judges and clients. The want more than an explanation.

He has learned that just explaining the data he used, the process he followed and the results he concluded, all in technical terms, is not enough. He said he needed to explain everything more simply, not because they aren’t intelligent, but that they often miss the subtleties that are obvious to him and any other Business Valuation specialist.

It made me think of the countless conversations I’ve had with tax and audit professionals. When they tell me that they are prepared for the client meeting, what they really mean is that they know where the numbers come from and how they combine to produce the final result. They want to be able to answer any question about the document that the client asks. It’s not enough.

Example

Imagine you are at your physician’s office because the medication for your OCD isn’t working. After listening to your symptoms, your physician speaks up.

Physician: “Let’s move you to another medication. Just make sure to wait two weeks from the last dose before you begin the new med.”

You: “Why do I have to wait two weeks?”

Physician: “Because we want to prevent serotonin syndrome.”

You: “What’s that?”

Physician: “Any time you move from a SSRI to a MAOI, you have to allow for a washout period. Once you begin the new med, it will take about 2 weeks before it becomes effective.”

At that point, you say ok and leave. While your physician was technically on point, you have no idea what’s going on and don’t even know what questions to ask. All you know is that you will be off any medication for your OCD for two weeks and then another two weeks until the new med kicks in. You needed more.

Clients Want More

Similarly, your clients want more than an explanation of the document or report. In addition to what it is, they want to know what it means, what the projections look like and ideas to consider going forward. They already trust you, so you are the right one to give them more than an explanation.

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