HIGH-VALUE FOLLOW-THROUGH: HOW PAST

CLIENTS CAN SUPPORT YOUR BUSINESS

There’s nothing like a great run with an ideal client.

Soon after the wrap-up of your last session, you’re basking in the satisfaction of nurturing this prospect, seeing their eagerness to pay for your services, and then receiving their praises for dissolving their

big problem.

Mission accomplished, right?

Sure. Until five seconds later, when you realize you need to drum up more business to keep a roof over your head.

Closing the books on a successful session with a fantastic client doesn’t mean the end of the relationship. In fact, finding ways to

deliver value to your past clients is probably the best way to all but guarantee that you’ll have as much work as you can handle…

without the usual feast-famine struggle most consultants have.

When you realize that your past clients are an abundant source of synergy, enthusiasm, and positive reflections about your performance, making time to connect with them on a regular basis feels like a stellar

investment, not a chore.

ALWAYS PLAY THE LONG GAME

In order to maintain a high-value business, you must commit to the idea that your central focus is not hunting down the next transaction or

closing the sale. It’s about building relationships.

This point is easily lost when cash flow gets a little low, you’re working your backside off for a month straight or you start comparing yourself to your business peers. But make no mistake, cultivating relationships is your main gig. If you can’t handle that perspective on consulting, you

might want to evaluate your relationship with your clients.

Think of it this way: A skilled farmer doesn’t pull a huge crop from a field and then plant exactly the same crop there the next year and

expect the same yields. He deliberately makes a plan to choose other crops or fertilizers that put nutrients back in the soil so the soil is never

depleted.

Business owners need to have a similar long-range plan with their client base. In order to keep your inner circle close, you’ll need to invest time,

money, or both for many months or years into the future.

DON’T DISAPPEAR: MAINTAINING CLIENT

RELATIONSHIPS THE HIGH-VALUE WAY

The absolute, #1, not-to-violate rule when you’re committed to ongoing client care is NOT to vanish after the deal is done.

Sure, it’s easy to move onto the next shiny, exciting project with a big price tag, but creating small ways to keep in touch creates a significant

boost for your business.

Here are some of the best ways to keep tabs on past clients’ successes and needs.

FREQUENT CHECKUPS

If you built a fantastic creation or service for your client, you’re probably the person best suited to make sure everything is running

smoothly. Consider creating a low-cost service agreement that’s easy for you to maintain and allows you to keep tabs on the big issues your

client is still facing.

If your expertise is in the coaching and consulting arena, suggest quarterly check-in meetings. This gives you a peek behind the curtain

so you can track trends, problems, and huge successes.

Long-term information about your clients’ progress gives you an opening to assist with other big problems or ask for a testimonial about

the results that your services have provided.

FREQUENT CONTACT

Once your clients have paid big bucks for access to you, make sure they feel special. Create a VIP email list that contains material that doesn’t go out to the prospects on the outer rings of your

target.

Great email topics or bonuses could include:▸ A free copy of an e-book you’ve just published

▸ Regular reminders of your key guidance--because in the thick of daily business, it’s easy to forget the basics

▸ A quick email about questions or issues you keep hearing in client sessions

▸ Tips or insights from a conference you attended if the information directly pertains to your clients’ businesses

▸ Reminder email about the big breakthrough moments your clients had during their work with you

▸ Humourous business-appropriate memes, GIFs, cartoons, or tidbits that let them know you share some inside jokes

To make your life easier, create the content for a few of these emails in one session (helps prevent repetition and increases good content flow), and set up calendar reminders so communication goes out on a regular

basis.

Pro tip: With every contact, make sure your clients feel that you’re still looking out for their best interests.

HELP CLIENTS HELP YOUR BUSINESS

If you were able to deliver real value for your client, they will probably be ready and eager to tell others about the great results they had.

Here are a few of the best ways to give your former clients the chance to put in a good work for you.

TESTIMONIALS

Make it easy for your clients spread the word about your excellent services!

It can be awkward to ask for a testimonial, so listen for those magic moments when your client pays you a specific compliment. Write it down and ask if they’ll approve it as a reference for future clients.

Be aware that due to legal and confidentiality restrictions in their business, they may not be able to give a public testimonial, but they

may be free to offer your potential clients a one-on-one review of your work.

MEETUPS

Get past and future clients together for a meeting on a topic they’re both interested in, and cast your former client as a mentor. Giving a

former client the expert’s chair casts them in a positive light and allows them to directly convey their trust in you using their own words.

If you have the ability to get everyone in the same room in real time after a conference or special dinner, fantastic! Otherwise, even busy professionals are usually very willing to hop on a conference call or

online meeting.

PUT YOUR CLIENT IN THE SPOTLIGHT!

People love the chance to be seen in public as a success, so write up a detailed case study that

tells explains the arc of your success together… and tells the truth, naturally.

WHEN IN DOUBT… GIVE

Don’t be stingy with your abilities in any aspect of your business, but especially with clients who have already proven their loyalty and

interest in your work.

If previous clients need a quick brainstorming session, some advice on a project they’re tackling, or a little hand-holding through a tough

situation, be willing to give them your time (within reason!) for free.

The best relationships in life have an excellent give-and-take flow without accounting for every single good deed or advantage given.

Be willing to give your clients your best even after your work together is officially finished. You’ll be amazed to see how simple caretaking can

support your business.

Learn about creating greater value for your consulting clients by subscribing to the Journal of Consulting Value, published by Remarq:

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