Being an underdog has a lot to do with the size of the organization backing you. being smaller is not necessarily the main issue in clients' decision making if you know how to overcome being smaller.
In almost 30 years of asking clients why they choose one firm over another I have found there are
several critical elements that you as a professional can do to change the tide and influence clients' decisions by demonstrating it's not the size of the organization, but who is better.
The elements that are critical to demonstrating you are better are what I call the six A's. These are your agility, acumen, alignment, ability, accuracy and affects.
All of these are under your control. These are for the most part perceptual elements--influenced by how well you work in the framework of the client. These six A's are critical to the science and art when working with clients. Keep these six A's in mind when working with clients. They change order (time) and importance (weight) at various points along the continuum, as well as, with different people in the client's organization as well as from client to client.
The importance and the ordering of the six A's has to do a lot with things beyond your control. These includes such things as the economy, pressure from shareholders or manager, and customers. Be alert to these and think through which of the six A's is most important now with this person in the client account you are dealing with and you will improve your chances of winning business and creating a client for life no matter if you are a one-person operation or a 12,000-person operation up against a 200,000 person operation.
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| My 25-year study of asking clients why they chose one firm and solution over all the others. The answer will amaze you. |
several critical elements that you as a professional can do to change the tide and influence clients' decisions by demonstrating it's not the size of the organization, but who is better.
The elements that are critical to demonstrating you are better are what I call the six A's. These are your agility, acumen, alignment, ability, accuracy and affects.
- Agility is how quickly you are able to respond to the client's needs.
- Acumen is how relevant you are to the client's needs.
- Alignment is getting to the right decision makers in the client's organization.
- Ability is how well the client understands your skills and strengths.
- Accuracy is the ability to pinpoint the client's problem.
- Affects is understanding the client's problem and its ramifications to the organization and the people who are impacted the most.
All of these are under your control. These are for the most part perceptual elements--influenced by how well you work in the framework of the client. These six A's are critical to the science and art when working with clients. Keep these six A's in mind when working with clients. They change order (time) and importance (weight) at various points along the continuum, as well as, with different people in the client's organization as well as from client to client.
The importance and the ordering of the six A's has to do a lot with things beyond your control. These includes such things as the economy, pressure from shareholders or manager, and customers. Be alert to these and think through which of the six A's is most important now with this person in the client account you are dealing with and you will improve your chances of winning business and creating a client for life no matter if you are a one-person operation or a 12,000-person operation up against a 200,000 person operation.
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