Do create meetings that people get excited about?  (source: Pink Sherbert / CC 2.0)

Meetings: Some are great, some are horribly bad.  Some are required, while others are ad hoc events.  Weekly project team meetings can be a useful tool in managing projects.  One-on-one meetings can help leaders dig deep using questions to help their team create a shared vision.  Some people hate meetings, other people love them.  Bottom-line: meetings are only as good as the meeting facilitation skills of the person facilitating them.

“Of all the meetings that I’ve gone to in the past, virtually all of them, I’ve felt, were kind of useless.”

- Jim Buckmeister, CEO, Craigslist

What is Meeting Facilitation?

Meeting facilitation is the art of conducting successful meetings regardless of the topic, the attendees, or the location.

Successful meetings…

1. Only last as long as absolutely necessary
2. Create a forum for ideas and/or results to be openly discussed
3. End with actionable next steps that everyone agrees on

If the person conducting the meeting is skilled in meeting facilitation, they will be able to effectively achieve each of these three keys to a successful meeting.  Here’s how to do it.

Meeting Facilitation Training: 6 Meeting Facilitation Tips to Use Right Now

1. Ask yourself: what is my desired OUTCOME for this meeting?

Successful meeting facilitation begins by asking yourself this question.  Envision that the meeting is over.  What happened?  Did you achieve what you had hoped?  Do you know what you are trying to achieve?  Be sure you clearly know this going in to your meeting.

2. Need to propose an idea?  Try this: “Can I make a suggestion?”

Meeting facilitation, by it’s very nature, means taking an approach that opens people up to communicating with you and other meeting attendees.  By asking this question above, you approach the discussion as an advisor.  Doing so means that most people will be open to hearing what you have to say.

3. Is the group having a hard time making a decision?  Try this: “Let’s try X…and if then try something else if that doesn’t work.”

Sometimes you have to “take the roast out of the oven.”  This is a great technique to do so.  End the endless debate in your meeting with this simple statement.  It helps the group pick a direction, but also leaves the door open to changing it later, after you learn from your decision.

4. Need to break up an argument that isn’t going anywhere?  Try this: “I’d suggest that…what do you think?”

Meeting facilitation can often be about finding the “truth” in both sides of an argument, and bringing people together to see each other’s point of view.  By suggesting ideas using this technique, you break up the disagreement and turn the focus inward on each participant to evaluate the idea.

5. Have people who aren’t contributing?  Try this: “Linda, what do you think about that?”

Sometimes you have to call on people to get them to participate.  This can be the biggest let down, but most revealing part of meeting facilitation.  Sure, everyone wants to conduct meetings where every attendee is engaged.  Reality is this will not always be the case.  However, by taking the time to call on people who aren’t contributing, you can often find great ideas that the group can shape into action!

6. Save the last 5 minutes of the meeting to recap and agree on next steps.

Remember Tip #1 above.  You had a desired outcome for the meeting you just facilitated.  Now, take the last 5 minutes to recap what decisions were made and what next steps each attendee will take.  I’m always amazed at how different peoples perspectives can be on the next steps after a meeting when this is not done.  Eliminate confusion and communication issues with this step!

Note: Thanks to Tim Ferriss for tips 2-4 above.  They can be found in his book, The Four Hour Workweek.  I have practiced them religiously for the last 30 days and have found them to be indispensable tools to effective meeting facilitation.

See also:

1. The Power of Weekly Meetings I know, the last think you need is another...
2. 7 Leadership Training Tips from Barack Obama Do you like to learn the leadership styles of...
3. 10 Voicemail Tips to Improve Your Voicemails (Source: Pixel Addict) 80% of all project issues are...

This post is part of the One Goal Project to achieve exceptional performance at work.  Learn more.

Feeling overloaded?  Try these two templates. (source: antwerpenR / CC 2.0)

My team hears me say it all the time, and it always goes something like this:

“We all have a hundred things on our plate, but are you working on the right things today?”

Easy enough to say, but harder still to deliver on. Why? Because we are creatures of habit.  We show up (physically) on Monday morning. We check email and voice mail and then “ping pong syndrome” begins.

What is “ping pong syndrome”?

Reacting. Bouncing back and forth between all the things competing for your attention all day long.  Reacting to emails and voice mails, trying to please our leaders, reacting to our Clients’ needs, and our teams’ issues. Reacting to the voices in our heads, the feedback from family and friends, and what the media tells us we should be doing.  We spend so much time reacting all week, that before you know it, its Friday.

Did you know?

A University of California – Irvine study showed that information workers are interrupted on average every 3 minutes.  In addition, a study at Intel showed people spending 20 hours per week processing email.  (source: IEEE Spectrum)

Here are two insanely practical tools that can help you BE CERTAIN you are working on the right things, and avoiding ping pong syndrome:

Goal Setting Worksheet

This Goal Setting Worksheet will help you organize your goals, to dos, and/or projects to help you make the biggest impact in your life or career.

Updating this each week will only take about 10 minutes if you have all of your goals, to dos, and projects organized.

Here’s what you do:

• Simply draw 4 quadrants on a piece of paper (or in Excel).
• Label the top of the vertical line “High Impact” and the bottom of the vertical line “Low Impact”.
• Next, label the left side of the horizontal line “High Effort” and the right side of the horizontal line “Low Effort”.

Now, place all of your goals, tasks, or projects in the quadrants. Quickly, you’ll find the things that have low effort/ high impact. Work on those first. Then, move to high effort/high impact!

Download the Goal Setting Worksheet Template (Excel).

Weekly Planner Template

This Weekly Planner Template (borrowed from the teachings of Stephen Covey) will help you organize the most important things to do in each “role” you play in your life.  Combined with the Goal Setting Worksheet above, you can easily identify those things that will have the biggest impact.

Creating one each week should not take you longer than 10 minutes.

Here’s how to use it:

• Simply write in all of the roles you have. As you’ll see in my example, I put in things like Husband, Father, Team Leader, etc.
• Then, ask yourself “What is the most important thing I can do in this role this week?”
• Pull the best high impact/low effort and high impact/high effort goals, tasks, or projects that you will accomplish THIS WEEK from the Goal Setting Worksheet, or any other to-do list you maintain.
• Fill in the “Sharpening the Saw” section – which contains the 4 areas of your personal development each week.  Sharpening the Saw refers to Habit 7 in the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey.  Learn more on the complete Franklin Covey approach.

Download the Weekly Planner Template (Excel).

Hopefully these two tools will help you focus your biggest decision – where to spend your time – much more effectively.  Will you be able to consistently do this type of goal setting each week?  Not always.  But, doing this more often than not, and getting in the habit of doing so is time extremely well spent.

Do you have feedback on these ideas or have your own to share? Leave a comment!

See also:

1. Exceptional Client Service [The One Goal Project] This post is part of the One Goal Project...
2. Personal Development Plan Template Are you looking for an effective personal development plan...
3. Exceptional Execution and Follow Through [One Goal Project] This post is part of the One Goal Project...

Source: NateOne / CC BY 2.0

Do you have your eyes open for ways to grow?  When you do, you can find lessons in the most unlikely places.  Here are some great lessons from the wall at Jimmy John’s, courtesy of Matt Cardwell.  I find a lot of value in these statements, and have re-read them most mornings since Matt sent them around to our team at Quicken Loans.

I believe…

that two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.

I believe…

that your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don’t even know you.

I believe…

that even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you, you will find the strength to help.

I believe…

that credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.

I believe…

that the people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon.

I believe…

that sometimes when I’m angry I have the right to be angry but that doesn’t give me the right to be cruel.

I believe…

that just because someone doesn’t love you the way you want them to doesn’t mean they don’t love you with all they have.

I believe…

that maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you’ve had and what you’ve learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you’ve celebrated.

I believe…

that it isn’t always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.

I believe…

that no matter how bad your heart is broken that the world doesn’t stop for your grief.

I believe…

that our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.

I believe…

that just because two people argue, it doesn’t mean they don’t love each other.  And just because they don’t argue, it doesn’t mean they do.

I believe…

that you shouldn’t be eager to find out a secret.  It could change your life forever.

I believe…

that it’s taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.

I believe…

that you should always leave loved ones with loving well wishes. It may be the last time you see them.

I believe…

that you can keep going long after you can’t.

I believe…

that we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.

I believe…

that we don’t have to change friends, if we understand that friends change.

I believe…

that no matter how good a friend is, they’re going to hurt you once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

I believe…

that true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.

I believe…

that you either control your attitude or it controls you.

I believe…

that regardless of how hot and steamy a relationship is at first, that passion fades and there had better be something else to take its place.

I believe…

that heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

I believe…

that you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.

I believe…

that money is a lousy way of keeping score.

I believe…

that my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time.

I believe…

that sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you’re down, will be the ones who help you get back up.

See also:

1. Inspirational Quote about Defeat [via John F. Kennedy] Victory has a hundred fathers, defeat is an orphan....
2. Inspirational Quote about Worrying [via John Power] Worrying is the same thing as banging your head...
3. Inspirational Quote about Economics [via John Maynard Keynes] Markets can remain irrational longer than you can remain...

Are you making hay when the sun shines, or letting opportunity pass you by? (Source: kevindooley)

I know it’s been some time since the last Dot Connector post, but not without good reason.  May’s One Goal was Execution, specifically, honing your “getting things done” skills.  Not to be outdone in what many of you know if one of my favorite activities (getting things done), the last two weeks of May were a whirlwind for me.

Here’s a recap, with an execution lesson in each update…

Buying a House

We’ve decided to become homeowners again.  With an $8,000 tax credit, and the desire to expand and improve our living situation, we’ve taken the plunge.  While we made this decision some time ago – and looked relentlessly in our free time over the past 3 months – in May we found a house.  We went through a long, tough negotiation on the deal.  Long story short: we close next week and couldn’t be happier.

Execution lessons learned:

1. Keep your eye on the prize. The deal we put together almost fell apart 3 times, with several more bumps along the way.  By staying focused on the “prize” (a much better living situation for our family), we were able to ignore some of the small stuff and see past the issues we had to deal with.
2. Vent once in a while. There were a couple of times where we just needed to vent, to really engage in the emotional side of the negotiation, and to just be mad.  It’s important to do this as a constructive release.  Far too often, in projects at work or at home, we keep things bottled up, and don’t give ourselves the opportunity to shut a door and just vent.  It’s always amazing the clarity you can achieve afterward.

Launching Ame, the Automated Mortgage Expert

At Quicken Loans we launched a major project to help homeowners who need to refinance: Ame, the Automated Mortgage Expert.  Ame guides a person through a radically new “easy as an iPhone” interface to determine what refinance loan is best for their situation.  The results provide refinancing options, mortgage rates, and full closing cost details.  Pretty cool, but just getting started.  Expect Ame to do way more in the future.

Execution lesson learned: If you are working on a big project (Ame is a big project), you need to find those ways to strip it down to the essential to be successful.  All good ideas (and good projects) create other ideas (and projects).  It’s easy to get caught in the “breadth” instead of the “depth” of a project.  Don’t let yourself fall victim to that thinking.

Completing My First 5k Trail Race

When I was setting goals in January, I decided I wanted to run a 5k race this year.  I don’t know about you, but working out is always easier for me if I’m working toward something.  At the beginning of April, I signed up for the Boulderdash, a 5k trail race in Duluth, MN (where I live).  I had 60 days to get ready for this race.  My goal?  Run the entire way, in under 30 minutes.

Execution lesson learned: Preparing for this race was a good opportunity to practice chopping up a larger goal into smaller ones.  I knew by the end of the 60 days, I need to be able to run 5k (3.2 mi) on trails.  So, I spent the first 20 days running 1 mile every other day, the second 20 days running 2 miles, and the final 20 days running 3 miles.  The result was finishing my first 5k trail race in 25:46!

Hopefully you can understand why my posting has been light lately.  However, in June we’re focusing on Decision Making as our One Goal, so there will be more to come on that soon!

See also:

1. 13 Useful Tips to Improve Execution and Follow Through This post is part of the One Goal Project...
2. Exceptional Execution and Follow Through [One Goal Project] This post is part of the One Goal Project...
3. Project Management Tip: Ask for Help! Asking for help is one of the most critical...

This post is part of the One Goal Project to achieve exceptional performance at work.  Learn more about the project.  Learn more about May’s Goal.

Climb your own mountain with these execution tips (Source: Darcy McCarty)

Here is a list of resources on Dot Connector that can help you with various elements of achieving exceptional performance in execution and follow through.  At the end of this list, you’ll also find 3 outstanding articles from the blogosphere.

10 Execution and Follow Through Resources on Dot Connector

1. Mental Focus – The Secret to Becoming Legendary at What You Do

2. Creativity: 3 Ways to Seize the Opportunity to be Creative!

3. The Secret About Project Priorities

4. The Power of Weekly Meetings

5. How Do You Prioritize?

6. How to Never Forget Anything Again: 3 Ways to Boost Your Memory with Online Reminder Services

7. Tell Your Story – Essential Business Communication Tip!

8. Top 3 Business Email Tips

9. 10 To Do List Tips for Getting Organized [Bonus: To Do List Template]

10. Remember the Milk Review – To Do List Software

3 Other Resources for Tips on Execution and Follow Through

1. 7 Ways to Grow the Action Habit by John Jorgensen

2. Follow through by Seth Godin

3. The Art of Execution by Guy Kawasaki

See also:

1. Exceptional Execution and Follow Through [One Goal Project] This post is part of the One Goal Project...
2. 10 Voicemail Tips to Improve Your Voicemails (Source: Pixel Addict) 80% of all project issues are...
3. Make Hay While The Sun Shines – Reflections on Execution in May Are you making hay when the sun shines, or...

This post is part of the One Goal Project to achieve exceptional performance at work.  Learn more.

When it comes to getting things done, how reliable are you?  (source: hryck)

Our next One Goal is to achieve exceptional performance in execution and follow through.  This month, our focus will be on the 4 key aspects to doing this:

1. Achieving results within allotted time frames
2. Being as efficient as possible with your time
3. Taking good ideas and implement them
4. Displaying a bias for action and closure in everything that you do

At Quicken Loans, we have an ISM (or saying): “Innovation is rewarded.  Execution is worshipped.” It’s clear: the ability to get things done is at the very core of exceptional performance.

I will be sharing tips from popular thinkers, tips already on this blog and in the blogosphere, and another interview on this topic.  We’ll also go out to LinkedIn and see what ideas people have to share.

To get started, reflect this weekend on the following passage from Peter Drucker’s “Managing Oneself,” published in the Harvard Business Review in January, 2005:

Throughout history, the great majority of people never had to ask the question, “What should I contribute?”  They were told what to contribute, and their tasks were dictated either by the work itself – as it was for the peasant or artisan – or by a master or a mistress – as it was for domestic servants.

There is no return to the old answer of doing what you are told or assigned to do.  [You] have to learn to ask a question that has not been asked before: “What should my contribution be?”  To answer it, [you] must address three distinct elements:

1. What does the situation require?
2. Given my strengths, my way of performing and my values, how can I make the greatest contribution to what needs to be done?
3. What results have to be achieved to make a difference?

After you have done that, please take 5 minutes to read this influential piece about time management from Tim Ferriss: On the Shortness of Life: An Introduction to Seneca.

See also:

1. 13 Useful Tips to Improve Execution and Follow Through This post is part of the One Goal Project...
2. Exceptional Client Service [The One Goal Project] This post is part of the One Goal Project...
3. The One Goal Project: Reaching Exceptional Performance at Work We’re going to work on “one goal” to help...

This post is part of the One Goal Project to achieve exceptional performance at work.  Learn more about the project.  Learn more about April’s Goal.

To get additional insights on our April goal of exceptional client service, I reached out to the Dot Connector Group on LinkedIn and LinkedIn Answers to see what tips other people had.

Here’s the question I asked:

• We all have Clients we serve. What tips do you have for being exceptional at Client service?

Here’s what our LinkedIn experts had to say:

Sam Makhoul Sales Executive/Seminar Leader/Trainer at Makhoul Consulting and Seminars

1. Know your customer!
2. Define the expectation from how they perceive it!
3. Ask yourself: Will we be able to deliver on this and is it worth our while to do so?
4. Exceed the expectation!

Dave Maskin “The WireMan” WireNames.com” Professional crowd gatherer for events and trade shows” 100% recycled wire used. GREEN VENDOR

• The most important aspects of exceptional client service is:
• Be respectful and polite. Listen to your customer when they request something and try and accommodate them to the best of your ability.
• If you’re in a business like mine, get there early and always put on a happy face…

Midji Rovetta Accounting and Office Operations Professional

• Always remember that the customer(s) or client(s) is always right, we work for them, always keep our promises to them, be polite and happy to help them.

Emma Crabtree Virtual Assistant & Chief Organiser, Red Box Virtual Office

1. Understand your client’s business goals
2. Be proactive
3. Listen to their feedback

Prashant Bhekare Dreamer and Business Builder

• Really Listen.

Maureen Areia Operations Professional – Call Center & Admin. Operations

• To me, there are two aspects to exceptional customer service. The first starts are the top of the organization with a strong, corporate mission to understand your customers in order to drive marketing and product decisions:
  1. Who are your customers?
  2. Do your customers’ needs vary based upon a set of common characteristics?
  3. How does your product or service meet these needs?
  4. Can you uniquely differentiate your product or service to increase consumer value?
• The second level is in the actual customer service (frontline) support provided. The frontline customer service personal need to fully understand the customers being served and the unique value your product or service provides (especially if segmented), have the autonomy to make decisions that will improve the customer experience and have processes to supply feedback on emerging trends. Add a basic common set of skills needed by every customer service professional (below), customer and product training, procedures and continuous monitoring and coaching, exceptional customer service is possible:
  1. Listening
  2. Empathy
  3. Conflict management
  4. Positive attitude
  5. Excellent verbal communications

• Finally, I’d like to touch upon an earlier comment suggesting that the customer is always right. I’d argue whether that really is true. And I’d like to use the information supplied above to illustrate how to deal with situations when the customer is not right:
  

  Consider the customer who, recently unemployed, now faces decisions on what bills to pay on time. The customer chooses to pay his auto insurance premium late. The customer has received notice that late payment will result in a coverage lapse or termination, but he feels there is no other option. The customer is involved in an accident. His coverage lapsed.

  Undoubtedly, the customer calls to report the accident and someone needs to explain that coverage has lapsed. Here is where exceptional customer service comes into play. Regardless of whether or not you’ve heard this story (or some derivation) before, really LISTEN to what the customer is telling you. Use empathy – you’d feel awful if this happened to you, right? Remain positive and explore ways that you can help the customer under these circumstances. There may be little you can do at this point in time . . . but you can suggest alternatives for repair, how to avoid a similar situation in the future (call and we may be able to help with an alternative payment plan), etc. Overall, the situation is very unpleasant and the customer will surely be upset. However, if handled properly, the customer may actually thank you for helping him.

  But it should not end there. If there is a growing trend surrounding late payments and lapses in coverage, someone in marketing and product development needs to know about it. Here is where having a process for feedback is essential and can reduce the frustration of frontline service personnel who feel helpless in securing changes that can benefit the customers serviced. With the growing number of unemployed, there may be some real opportunities to establish an outreach program, alter product features to reduce expense or extend payment terms, etc. It costs more money to get a new customer than it takes to keep a customer for a lifetime. And, if service does start at the top of the organization, I’d argue that payment trends, customer retention, etc. should have been monitored and reacted to much sooner.

• Exceptional customer service is about continuously examining the relationship, needs and products of your customers across the entire organization.

Colm Connolly Manager, Customer Service at Sulake

• Trite, but true: Treat others as you would wish to be treated.

Laura (Stevens) Alten Manager, Global Accounts at HelmsBriscoe

• Wish I could give credit to the author of this quote: “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.”

Sheri Manska Logistics & Materials Analyst

• Whether your product is a burger or a million-dollar service contract, exceptional client/customer is summed up in a few simple steps:
  1. Provide a very prompt response.
  2. Make sure the order is complete and understood by all.
  3. Fill the order accurately.
  4. Treat past and long-time customers as would new and potential customers.

Note from Regis: a big THANK YOU to all who responded on LinkedIn!  Your time is valuable, and I appreciate you sharing some of it – and your knowledge – with us.

See also:

1. LinkedIn Answers Discussion: How Do You Break Out of a Mental Funk at Work? I recently wrote an article sharing 3 ideas about...
2. Exceptional Client Service [The One Goal Project] This post is part of the One Goal Project...
3. 2 Steps to Reaching Exceptional Client Service This Week This post is part of the One Goal Project...

This post is part of the One Goal Project to achieve exceptional performance at work.  Learn more about the project.  Learn more about April’s Goal.

Practice finding growth everywhere. (Source: iChaz)

Last week, I sat down with Graham Skidmore, the VP of Growth and Opportunity at Quicken Loans.  Graham is an accomplished and award winning leader of sales people and creator of successful sales teams.  He has spent the last 11 years at Quicken Loans, and is someone who can help grow your Client Service skills.

Your Goal for this Week: Try to practice at least one of the tips Graham offers below!

My only interview question to Graham was “what are the Client Service lessons you have learned over the course of your career?”  These are his responses.

1. Think like your Client and ask, “What’s in it for me?”

All your Client cares about is what’s in it for them.  They definitely do not care about your policies, processes, or procedures.  Therefore, never say “you can’t” do something, always find a way to say “what you can do.”  To help understand your Client’s needs, ask them “What is the outcome you desire?” or “What is an acceptable solution?”  Then, ask your Client for recommendations and suggestions as you go about solving their problems.

2. Listen.  Really listen.

If you find yourself talking more than 30-40% of the time when you are with a Client, you should put yourself in check.  Instead, ask a lot of questions to find out how you can meet your Client’s needs.  After all, how can you meet the needs of your Client if you are talking all the time? [Note from Regis: Be sure to check out this post on Building Rapport with your Leaders.  The same lessons apply to Clients.]

3. Develop loyal Clients.

The first step to loyalty is honesty.  Always be extremely fast in updating your Client with news, good or bad.  Even bad news is well received better when it’s received promptly.   How you handle yourself when things go wrong is how you gain loyalty.  Bottom-line: don’t give excuses, apologize when something goes wrong, and set proper expectations with your Client.  It might not always be what they want to hear, but they will value the truth.

4. Take adversity head on.

When things get to the point where they are so bad all your Client can do is yell, shut up and get yelled at.  Let them vent.  Then, they are more likely to listen.  Take notes on what the Client is saying (you don’t want to miss ANYTHING – this is a great learning experience).  Then, recap the concerns, provide solutions, and ask, “Did I address your concerns?”

5. Truly care about making Clients happy

You can’t fake sincerity and being genuine.  Just be sincere in what you do.  It will help build a bond between you and the Client.  [Note from Regis: remember, what you don't do is just as important as what you do, so put yourself in check by asking "what am I not doing right now that would show how much I care about this Client?"  Then, do it!]

6. Always put the responsibility on you, not the Client.

Things go wrong.  They always do.  Throughout my career, my biggest times of growth have been from my biggest times of pain.  When failure happens to you, simple say to yourself “I gotta fix this.”  Failure isn’t an option, so you need to change yourself to make things right.

7. Create good client service through your team

Treat your team like you’d treat your Clients (like you’d want to be treated!).  Listen to team members, never assuming you always know the answer.   Teach your team how to do this by creating the same atmosphere with your team that you want with your Clients.

Note from Regis: Graham’s final point hit me the hardest.  He said: “I need Clients more than they need me.  They need to feel that.”  That’s what this month’s goal is all about.  Good luck achieving exceptional Client Service this week!

See also:

1. 2 Steps to Reaching Exceptional Client Service This Week This post is part of the One Goal Project...
2. 13 Ways to Achieve Exceptional Client Service This Week This post is part of the One Goal Project...
3. Exceptional Client Service [The One Goal Project] This post is part of the One Goal Project...

This post is part of the One Goal Project to achieve exceptional performance at work.  Learn more about the project.  Learn more about April’s Goal.

Use the tips below to weather high seas with your Clients. (Source: wili hybrid)

When I first started at Quicken Loans almost 5 years ago, I found something in my inbox from Art Steiber, Director, Marketing Communications.  It was a copied article called “How To Be a Near Perfect Account Exec.”  Art put a note on it saying that the article was a bit dated, and focused on advertising agency account folks, but the 13 principles in it are timeless.  I agree.

In this post, I’ll update these 13 ideas to bring them current in today’s business environment.  Your goal for this week is to practice these 13 ideas in your daily interactions with Clients. If you learn something while doing this, please share in the comments!

1. Take nothing for granted

Never assume that your Clients read your email, listened to your voice mail, or remembered your presentation.  Treat every interaction with them as an opportunity to teach, coach, and lead them.  Another tip: if someone commits to do something for you (and your Clients) by a certain date, add that to your calendar so you can ensure it happens.

2. Return Client calls within the hour

Your Clients typically feel possessive of you and your time.  This is a good thing, something you can use to your advantage.  Why?  Clients are not trying to make your life more difficult, they are directing you toward new virtues.  Leverage your voice mail system’s features, tools like Google Voice, and the Dot Connector Voicemail Tips article to use the phone to your advantage!

3. Put it in writing

Every Client meeting should be documented in writing within 24 hours.  Let me say that again: EVERY Client meeting.  Now, I know what you are thinking: “NO WAY!  I have ZERO time for that.”  Make the time.  It shows the Client how much you care about the meeting, and it’s a great reference later on.  You really only have to recap decisions made and next steps, not the actual conversation.  It can be as easy as sending an email with a bullet list in it.  Just do it!

4. Make no promises you can’t keep

Don’t agree to things before you know your ability to deliver.  Be humble, and tell your Clients when you don’t know the answer or aren’t sure about how long something will take.  That way, you won’t set you and your project team up for failure.  In your Clients’ eyes, be sure you only commit yourself to things you can do. And remember, every interaction with your Client is a personal branding opportunity.

5. Keep the promises you do make

If you commit to do something, do it.  If you commit to a deadline, hit it (and hit it earlier than expected whenever possible!).  Your Clients are keeping a scoreboard of your performance (even if only subconsciously), so be sure you are always racking up more points by keeping your promises, no matter how big or small.

6. Check mechanicals

I once delivered an inaccurate P&L statement to one of my Clients.  He called me to his office, sat me down, looked me straight in the eye, and said: “don’t EVER bring me an inaccurate report again.”  A small, simple moment?  For sure.  But, it stuck with me for good.  No matter how tight your deadline, make sure what you deliver (sales report, presentation, website, etc.) is accurate.

7. Double-check invoices

There are few things that command more attention from Clients than invoices or bills.  Be sure before they ever go to a Client that they: 1) Are accurate, 2) Outline the work performed in the Client’s language, and 3) thank the Client for their business.  Ensuring you can explain every charge is critical too.

8. Proofread your email

You are judged by the communications you deliver.  Beyond simple spell-checking, re-read your emails before sending them.  If you have a very important email, try to put it aside after a first draft to ensure you speak to the Client correctly within it.  Also, be sure to check out the Dot Connector Top 3 Business Email Tips.

9. Trust your true opinions

Develop your gut instincts and trust them.  Clients will ask for your opinions.  Don’t sound weak by being diplomatic.  Give your honest opinions with implied conviction.  Don’t steamroll or bulldog your Clients, but be firm whenever you give your opinions.  Don’t let a fear of being wrong hold you back.  Risk normalcy.

10. Be prepared

Become offensive (vs. defensive) in your Client interactions.  Stay ahead of your Clients by anticipating their needs and acting before they do.  Think and plan ahead.   Before a Client meeting, write a 20 list of things you might discuss or questions you might ask (See Tip #14 here).  Even if you aren’t expected to present at a Client meeting, bring a 3-slide presentation anyway.  Offer to share ideas, competitor strategies, and other things that will help your Clients.

11. Be prepared (again)

If you’ve created your Client Information System, then you have something to review before you meet or talk with a Client.  Be sure to review recent emails, notes, projects, reports, etc. so you are well-prepared for your conversation.  If your Client asks you a question and you don’t know the answer, say “let me check and get back to you shortly.”  Then, “WOW” your Client with your response time.

12. Take the initiative

If you only react to your Clients, you are nothing but a glorified assistant.  See point #10 above and practice being proactive.  Make a determined effort to anticipate your Clients’ needs.  It will help you lead them to success.

13. Don’t be afraid to ask for help

It’s critical that with your Clients and your project teams that you ask for help.  Asking for help is a great way to build relationships, practice humility, and encourage others (including your Clients) to reach out to you for help too.

See also:

1. 2 Steps to Reaching Exceptional Client Service This Week This post is part of the One Goal Project...
2. Exceptional Client Service [The One Goal Project] This post is part of the One Goal Project...
3. LinkedIn Answers Discussion: Exceptional Client Service This post is part of the One Goal Project...

This post is part of the One Goal Project to achieve exceptional performance at work.  Learn more about the project.  Learn more about April’s Goal.

Time to question your Clients like Socrates would! (Source)

By now, you’ve completed your first task: you’ve made a list of your Clients.  Good work!

3 Reasons You Made a Client List Last Week

1. To know who your Clients are. If you know who your Clients are, you can get down to the business of getting to know them better.  More on that below…
2. To think about who you really serve. Often we don’t clearly outline who it is we serve.  By not doing this, we tend to get overwhelmed by all of the requests coming at us.  However, once we know who our Clients are, we can then prioritize tasks and projects using the following priority order: #1: My Crew (those people who help you get things done), #2 My Clients (we know who they are by now), and #3 My Company (those people who are neither Crew, nor Clients, who ask you to do things)
3. To commit to a select group of people (and ignore the rest). Ok, that might sound harsh.  But if you have to decide between helping a Client solve a problem, or completing a survey for an internal team, you know what to do!  It’s important to know you are already committed to your Client, and should prioritize her needs first.

Your Goal for This Week: Get to Know Every Client

You are your Clients.  Remember: you are as good (or as bad) as your Client list.  So, for the next 7 days, put other things on the back-burner, and visit your Clients!  You want to cut through the surface-level conversations you have had in the past and go DEEP with them to understand their real needs.  Here’s how:

STEP 1: Create a Client Information System (CIS)

Your CIS could be as simple as a piece of paper about each Client in a file.  Or you could use shared contacts in Outlook, or tools like Salesforce or Highrise.  Whatever you decide, the key is to start collecting information about each Client!

21 Things to Record in Your Client Information System

Here are some ideas to get you started with your new CIS:

1. What do you know about your Client professionally? Personally?
2. What your Client’s family life like?
3. Does your Client have kids?  If so, what are their names and ages?
4. What are some important milestones in your Client’s life?
5. When does your Client get in to work?  When do they leave?
6. Where has your Client worked previously?
7. What are your Client’s priorities at work?
8. Why do they have those priorities?
9. Who does your Client report to?
10. How can you help make your Client look better to that person?
11. How does your Client like to communicate?  Email, voice mail, IM, etc.?
12. Who can your Client put you in touch with that you couldn’t otherwise talk to?
13. What other companies does your Client work with?
14. How do they feel about those companies?
15. What does your Client like to do for fun?
16. How can you make your Client do their job easier?
17. How can you make it more difficult for your Client (be sure to avoid that!)?
18. What does your Client do really well?
19. What does your Client need from you to perform?
20. What are your Client’s limitations?
21. How does your Client like to be kept informed?

STEP 2: Visit With Every Client this Week

To initiate a deep, ongoing, conversation with your Clients, you have to visit them.  If you can’t visit them all physically this week, that’s fine.  But, try to visit as many as you can.  If that’s physically impossible, have a serious phone conversation with each one.

3 Client Conversation Templates to Use

Here are 3 Client conversation templates you can pick from for your visit with each Client this week.  All 3 are taken from Tom Peters‘ book, Professional Service Firm50.

Client Conversation Template #1 – The “Humble Servant” Approach

• How are we doing?
• Are the current projects we’re doing with you “OK” or “WOW”?
• Or, are we doing a half-ass job?
• Are we listening to your concerns?
• Do you love us, like us, or heaven forbid, dislike us?

Client Conversation Template #2 – The “No-Holds Barred” Approach

• I’m here to serve you.  Period.
• I am here to do life-altering work.  Period
• So…how am I doing?

Client Conversation Template #3 – The “Trusted Adviser” Approach

• How are we doing?
• Rate us…mercilessly!
• Are we pushing you?
• Are we dazzling you?
• Are we disappointing you?

Good luck!  And remember what Tom Peters says…

YOU ARE YOUR CLIENTS!

See also:

1. 13 Ways to Achieve Exceptional Client Service This Week This post is part of the One Goal Project...
2. Exceptional Client Service [The One Goal Project] This post is part of the One Goal Project...
3. LinkedIn Answers Discussion: Exceptional Client Service This post is part of the One Goal Project...