Do your client ‘account management’ calls feel more like taking orders than giving valuable advice?
In this episode, I explain how to change these conversations so you feel like a valued professional and trusted advisor not just another pair of hands.
This problem often happens when we let the client dictate the entire relationship, slowly training them to see us as reactive order takers.
To change this, you need to take control of the conversation and shift the focus to proactive, strategic advice.
In this episode, I’ll walk you through a simple process to make your next client call more valuable for both of you, and for your firm.
In this episode you will learn:
- Why sending a simple agenda beforehand is the most powerful thing you can do.
- How to lead the meeting from the very beginning to establish yourself as a peer.
- The powerful questions you need to ask that elevate you from a doer to a thinker.
- How to turn a routine catch-up into a strategic conversation that the client values.
If you find this episode useful, don’t forget to like it and then subscribe so you don’t miss another episode.
You can also listen to this episode on Substack and on Apple Podcasts
You know you need to pick up the phone to clients. After all, that’s the best and the easiest way to pick up work. In fact, your partners may be demanding that you do that, but it also feels a little ick.
Like, you know you want more work and you feel that they think you’re only ringing because you want more work and you’re going to get them to give them more work. It’s all a bit salesy. It’s all a bit awkward.
And then you know how it’s going to go. You’ll start by asking, how are things? And either the client will hardly say anything and once again it’s awkward or they will launch into a long story using up masses of your billable time. But I thought this was meant to be the easiest way to win work, to pick up the phone.
What you don’t want to become or feel like is an order taken for your clients or even be seen as one. You want to have that conversation where you help them. They see the call as valuable and, and a big and, you come away with more work to be done. Not too much to ask, it?
And as a result, because of that ick fact, that awkwardness, that how’s it going to go? I don’t want to be seen as salesy and an order taker. These proactive account management calls, they slip down your to-do list. Even though you know, I know, there should be a top priority to do each week.
Right, before I go any further, this is the How to Make Partner podcast with me, Heather Townsend, the author of Poised for Partnership and co-author of How to Make Partner and Still Have a Life.
In this podcast, I’ll be highlighting some of the great stuff in our Progress to Partner Academy. New episodes for the podcast are released weekly, so press subscribe so you don’t miss a new episode.
So in this episode of the podcast, we’re tackling a really common problem. This came up in a group call for lawyers across the world who were on their path to partnership.
And the problem is, how do you run your client calls so you feel like a trusted partner advisor rather than you thinking that they think?
You are just ringing them to see if there’s more work to be had from them. You don’t want to be an order taker. And this problem doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when we let the client dictate the entire relationship. We wait for them to tell us what they need.
We react to their demands and we slowly train them to see us as just another pair of hands, not the top person in the relationship, that’s the partner.
And so they then go to the partners for the more powerful conversations, the work winning ones, the ones that kind of gets the new bits of work. You know, the ones where the partners are actually helping them thinking, moving them forward, helping them both in the short and the medium term.
It’s the sort of conversation that you want to be having. You want to be seen to be having the sort of conversation that the client really values and rate. you know, you’ve got to change this, but to do that, you need to take control of the conversation.
You need to shift the focus from reactive task taking to proactive advice.
Now here is a simple three step process to transform your next client call. First of all, book it in advance. You know, don’t do it on spec, book it in advance. That means sending a clear agenda and sending it to the client beforehand. This is the single most powerful thing you can do for many reasons. Having the agenda signals that it’s a proper meeting, not just an informal catch up.
More importantly, booking in the diary, getting the client to say yes, there’s more chance that you don’t slip it down your to-do list and it actually happens. But then it’s most important not to make the agenda about your to-do list. Frame it about them, their position, their business goals. For example, hi, whatever client, I’m looking forward to our call on Wednesday. I suggest we cover, say one, a quick update on Project X, two, a discussion about your plans for Q4.
Second, you need to lead the meeting from the very beginning. So if there’s a partner in with you, don’t be tempted to sit back and let them do all the talking. Ask them if you can take a proactive role in leading the conversation forward.
So start by saying thanks for your time today. As per my email, I wanted to spend a few minutes discussing your plans for quarter four. Does that still work for you?
This immediately establishes that you are the one guiding the conversation.
Third, and most importantly, you need to ask better questions. Instead of the passive, is there anything you need from me or is there anything the firm can help you with? Ask powerful questions that deepen your understanding and their understanding.
Questions like, you know, what’s the biggest challenge on your radio for the next six months? Or how does a successful outcome for this project look for you personally? Or, if we’re having this conversation in years time, what would need to have happened for you to be delighted with our work together? Or, what’s worrying you about what’s coming on at the moment? Or, what’s the biggest thing on your desk right now that’s taking up your time? Or, given you’ve got some hard targets there for quarter four, what’s your biggest barrier to achieving them?
These are strategic questions.
You know, and they elevate you from that doer, that just that pair of hands that’s doing out their work to really thinking about them, getting clear about them, becoming more of that trusted advisor. And what they do is they force the client to see you as a peer and valued professional who’s invested in their success.
So to summarize this episode, if you want to be confident account management calls and have the right conversation, remember to be proactive and book the calls in advance and then prepare the agenda to keep the converse on the right topics, not just on the ongoing work.
Now, before I get to what is your next step for this week, if you’re thinking I get the theory, but I need more help with winning work and difficult conversations, our Progress to Partner Academy can help you. That’s exactly why we have a suite of courses in our Progress to Partner Academy to help you with this.
For example, our course, the GoToExpert, gives you all the tools to confidently win work and always be in demand for new business. And our How to Have a Difficult Conversation, virtual masterclass which is recorded, really gives you the how-to for having these crucial conversations.
Now I’ve popped a link in the show notes to get 12 months of membership of our Progress to Partner Academy. If you want access to everything, you can join our membership and use the code PODCAST10, all in capital letters, 10 being in numbers. PODCAST10 to get 10 % off 12 months of premium annual membership. Also in the show notes, you’ll find links to my book so you can easily find them on Amazon.
Now, before I move on to the action for you this week, if you’ve enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Spotify, Apple podcasts. This helps us get the word out to others who may need this advice too.
Remember to hit subscribe so you don’t miss a new episode. New episodes drop every single week.
So what is your one action for this week?
Your action for this week is to book in your next account management call and have an agenda to send to them before the call.
What help is out there for you to progress your career in the professions?
If you’re thinking, ‘I get the theory, but I need more help with winning work and difficult conversations’, our Progress To Partner Academy can help you.
That’s precisely why we have a suite of courses in the Progress to Partner Academy to help you with this. For example, our course ‘The Go-To Expert’ gives you all the tools to confidently win work and always be in demand for new business. And our how to have a difficult conversation virtual masterclass gives you the ‘how to’ for having these crucial conversations.
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Links:
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Connect with me on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/heathertownsend/
Join our Progress To Partner Academy – https://subscribe.howtomakepartner.com/progresstopartner/ and use the code PODCAST10 to get 10% off 12 months of premium annual membership.
Buy your copy of Poised for Partnership – https://amzn.to/3ETEYk3
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Join my Progress To Partner Academy and access all my courses and use the code PODCASTBP10 to get 10% off 12 months of premium annual membership.
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