CREATING SATISFIED CLIENTS

The comments thus far in this chapter have been somewhat defensive, focusing on how to avoid a poor client relationship. The remainder of this chapter looks at the other side of the coin - how to carry out consultancy projects so that clients are positively satisfied rather than simply 'not dissatisfied'. This starts with the planning of the project, continues throughout the delivery and finishes with its completion.

Setting up the Project

Clear and comprehensive terms of reference and terms of business are the foundation of a good client relationship (see Chapters 7 and 8). If you did not sell the assignment, but are operating a project sold by someone else, then you should check that the points below have been covered; if they are not, you must clarify them right at the start of the project:

• the scope of the project;

• the deliverables to the client;

• the method by which you will carry out the project;

• the programme of work involved;

• the resources required, including the support you expect from the client;

• the fees you are charging and when they become payable;

• when the project is to be complete.

You also need to know something of the sponsor, particularly their attitude to the project. What are the payoffs for him or her if the project is successful - what will they get out of it? How used are they to using outside advice? If a client has not used consultants before, they may need help in using your services to best effect.

Planning the Project

With any project other than the most trivial, it will be necessary to have review or reporting points with the client during its course. Progress reviews should take place at a regular frequency (for example, once per week or per month) or at milestones - points in the project where a major phase or stage is complete. Progress reviews can do much to reassure a client that a project is proceeding well and build confidence in the consultant. The converse - not keeping a client informed - can result in their feeling out of control or vulnerable, even if there is no basis for this.

When making your project plan, try to build in some slack so that you have some flexibility to accommodate delays. If your planning is such that any change in circumstances means that you will fail to meet targets, inevitably this will happen.

During the Project

There are several things you can do that will enable you to develop a good client relationship during a project:

• Build confidence during the early stages. Every project should start well; after all, you would not have won the contract if the client did not have the confidence that you were the best firm for the job. But during the early stages, even established clients will be checking out the firm's credentials, to see if that first impression was correct. Early in a project it is particularly important, therefore, to build a client's confidence. Being prompt and prepared at all client meetings, perhaps having them more frequently than you might otherwise have, will help; so too will a businesslike approach and achieving all the initial targets required on time. One particularly good way of building confidence at the early stages is the 'quick success' - achieving a result or delivering value beyond that expected.

• Add value. The 'quick success' formula will work throughout a project, so try to add value by doing more than the client expects. This does not mean providing free services, but look for opportunities of giving extra benefits from your work or help that may be beyond your brief. The most commercially advantageous to you are those that are valuable to a client but cheap for you to provide. A simple example is giving a client a publication or report from the consultancy practice on a topic of concern to him or her.

• Publicize good news. Make sure the client knows about all the successes you have achieved in your project. This can be done via progress reviews, but also make sure you can bring them up during casual conversations with client staff. If you are really sophisticated you will plan 'sound bites' so that you have a snappy response to the query, 'How is it going?' Your sound bite should consist of a 'newsworthy' comment about how the project is progressing. These items can be passed on by client staff. Remember that your client will want to reassure his or her colleagues that the project is proceeding successfully.

• Dealing with bad news. If something goes wrong that can be easily remedied without concerning the client, there is no need to bother him or her. If the client has to be informed, then it is better to do so before the problem becomes a crisis. Ideally you should go to the client with a statement of the problem and how you propose to solve it. Sometimes, however, you may need to work together to resolve the problem. Often clients will put in extra effort to solve the problem or mitigate its effect on their organization to save their own credibility with their colleagues.

Personal Skills of the Consultant

There are personal skills that make it easier for consultants to manage client relationships well. These are as follows.

Manage Your Time effectively

Time is the consultant's stock in trade; it is the commodity that you are selling. Time is also a consultant's scarcest resource, so it must be managed carefully. This requires three important skills:

• Establishing and working to a set of priorities.

• Giving sufficient time to existing commitments.

• Learning to say 'No'. Contrary to popular belief, there are a limited number of hours per day that a consultant can work at optimal performance. There comes a point when a consultant has to say 'No' to the demands of a practice or the client.

Position Yourself Correctly

Consultants must position themselves so that they are the equal of the client - at whatever level the client in the organization is. In particular, the consultant should make clear the right to say 'No' to a client, for example when they have unreasonable fee or time-scale expectations.

Handling Conflicting Demands

It may not be within the consultant's power to resolve a conflict of demands between a client and the consultancy practice. This is particularly difficult for junior consultants, who could find themselves in a 'no win' situation - they will upset someone whatever they do. They should seek the help of a more senior consultant - their boss - to resolve it.

When Things go Wrong, Deal with Them

Inevitably there will be occasions when things go wrong at either the project or personal level between consultant and client. When this happens, it should be recognized as a problem and dealt with as such. It is the way a consultant deals with problems that is a key test of how good he or she is at managing the client relationship. Young consultants are frequently reluctant to admit to mistakes that they cannot deal with; far better to admit them, however, before they turn into crises.

Don't Knock Anybody

It is rarely to a consultant's credit to criticize his colleagues, his clients or his competitors to his client. Where a client has a justifiable complaint about a consultant colleague, the consultant should acknowledge and deal with it rather than denigrating the colleague.

Be Attentive

A lot of effort goes into wooing the client for business. Once the business has been secured, the client will still expect attentive service. In practice this means that the consultant must be accessible to his clients and give them prompt attention. Equally, the consultant must be able to avoid the 'time wasters' without losing them as clients.

The End of the Project

I am told that in one European country there is the phrase, 'To say goodbye like an Englishman', which means to go without saying goodbye! The best source of further work and referrals to new clients is past clients, and so every project should be concluded with this in mind. The project should be signed off from both sides - the consultancy's and the client's. There should be a clear agreement on the successful completion of the project and perhaps an exchange of letters confirming the client's satisfaction. Astute consultants will make sure that warm letters of praise from clients are passed on to their own superiors.