Monday, December 07, 2009

Right up close

There is no doubt that we all have to get CLOSER to our customers or clients than ever before because that’s what differentiation boils down to.

Was a time when you could deliver the training or consultancy and just be satisfied to have done a solid days work. Not anymore. Trainers, consultants and speakers are ten a penny and most of their material is available to anyone online.

The differentiation is you, me, the human being, naked.

So recently a long standing client invited me to get involved in a political issue. I politely declined because I tend to avoid politics wherever possible. But the issue wouldn’t go away so I researched the pros and anti views. My client is pro and I, after due consideration, am anti. He wants to talk about it.

I have another long standing client who recently discovered that I fish. It’s the same sort of fishing he does and so he has suggested a day out together. Trouble is I am an introvert and so one of the reasons I fish is to put a bit of distance between me and the business world, just for a few hours. A days fishing with a client for me is a day’s work.

So I do believe that we have to get CLOSER to clients. And this does mean transparency; there will be no hiding place. I guess that the more transparent we are, clients will polarise. Some will like us for being the way we are, and others won’t.

I can live with that.

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