27
Nov
Change in the Blog

Tonight, I made a change in the process of blogging. I’ve separated the IT and Business Development into two different blogs. All past posts will be located at this blog. Future IT and Biz Dev posts will be separated unless they are of general interest.

The new blog addresses are:

http://billdotson.typepad.com/bizdev/ and

http://billdotson.typepad.com/the_it_workbook/

The subscription feeds are active on both sites, too.

Posted at 11:00 pm in Weblogs | Permalink | Comments (0) | Trackback |

27
Nov
Referrals — Shock Your Client by Reaching a New Level of Service

Client: John, it’s wonderful you’ve called on me. I happen to have a bit of a problem and would like you to help.

John, the Consultant: Let’s talk about it.

…time passes…

John: Before we begin the project, I’d like you to do something for me. (John hands over an envelope and a piece of paper.)

Client: Umm…what is it?

John: I’d like you to write down the name of one person who you think I should work with…

Client: But, John, we’ve never worked together before.

John: Hang on, I haven’t told you what we’re going to do with this yet. Before choosing the name, think of the risk it represents to you if you recommend me and I fail. Then, write the name down.

Client: I don’t understand.

John: I want to provide such a high level of service to you that you’d recommend me to the one person you cannot afford to fail.

Client: And what are we going to do with the envelope?

John: You keep it in a safe place. When we meet to review our relationship and projects, bring it. I know we’ll have multiple projects and multiple reviews. Put it on the table in front of us when we meet. I’ll ask if you are ready for me to call on that person. If you are, I’m doing fine by you. If not, I know I need to improve. I may never open the envelope, but I want you to know I always can.

If this were a real meeting between you and your clients, would it change anything?