7.8 The Long-Term Client Relationship

Clients come and go. No client has a continual stream of work that they can assign to you. However, you need to keep in close contact with them so that the next time an initiative is identified, they will immediately think of you to act as the internal consultant for the effort. Staying in contact is easy. You can call or even stop in to visit. Remember face-to-face contact is the best way to stay in contact. But if you can’t, then call the person on the phone and talk with them. Do not leave an e-mail or a voice mail. All too often these are deleted without the recipient ever hearing the message. You have a reason for the call besides making sure you stay in contact. Because you have worked for the client in the past, you need to call to see how the work related to the initiative is proceeding. Maintaining contact is a good approach; it is also good for your business. A good long-term client will create more work in strange ways. A dissatisfied client can undermine your ability to continue working and you may never even know why.

Five Things to Think About or Do

1. Make a list for yourself describing why you believe that you need clients to be able to successfully work as an internal consultant.  

2. Think about an initiative that succeeded. Who was your client? What did they do or contribute to the process that helped it to succeed?  

3. Think about an initiative that failed. If you had a client, was there anything that they did or failed to do that contributed to the failure? If you didn’t have a client, can you see how the lack of this vital component had a role in the failure?  

4. Make an internal consultant checklist so that you can explain to prospective clients what you will deliver as part of your internal consultant role. This will also help to clarify for the client what they should and should not expect. Use the checklist the next time you meet a new client.  

5. Make a client checklist so that when you start working with new clients you can help them understand what they need to provide if the initiative is to be successful.