If you ask any politician about the power of incumbency, you’re likely to hear that the odds are usually stacked in the incumbent’s favor, but that it doesn’t take much for the hold on incumbency to slip away with little warning.
Consultants face a similar challenge—how to grow an ongoing, profitable relationship with an existing client, instead of doing one project and moving on to the next client.
An existing client relationship confers the incumbent’s advantage. Many consultants squander that advantage by failing to build on their access to client decision makers and the measure of trust they have earned.
Perception = Reality
Often, the perception of a consultant’s performance bears little resemblance to reality. But if a consultant does a good job and the client doesn’t perceive it that way, the reality is that getting follow-on work will be a real stretch.
In an extreme example, a consultant with a rare medical condition dozed off in a client meeting. Even though the client knew of this consultant’s condition and valued his work, the consultant never shook his reputation for being paid to sleep.
For many consultants, a gap exists between the perception they’d like to create and the one they end up saddled with. And that gap can undercut their ability to develop lasting relationships. The sleeping consultant knew his days were numbered, but some client situations aren’t as clear cut.
Closing the perception-reality gap can be one of the most productive steps you take to move a relationship to the next level. In many cases, you can close that gap by opening honest lines of communication—and acting on the feedback you receive.
Almost all consultants ask their clients how they are doing, either verbally or through a more formal evaluation process. Some take it further. For example, you might ask other executives in the organization, who are not directly involved in the project, about their perceptions.
read more: http://mindshareconsulting.com/second-sale-and-beyond/
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