Creating A Successful Relationship With the Client

1. Creating A Successful RelationshipWith the Client Allison Rossett

2. Tonight-- • thinking about your challenge, project, client in light of the literature • enjoying success at this first meeting At the heart of the matter--  You never get a second chance to make a first impression. 

3. Three kinds of likely consulting relationships, according to Dormant and Rutt: Product relationship: where client wants a video to do X, or a web site to do Y. Prescriptive relationship: where client wants help figuring out what to do about something specific Process relationship: where client wants ongoing support and the effort results in their own development. Which of these situations characterize the presentations you heard tonight? Why? Under what circumstances is each kind appropriate or inappropriate? Thinking about your situation

4. Concours study: Varying Roles of “Learning” within Successful Corporations Relationship • Extending Enterprise Learning; The Key to Continual Reinvention • Reach out to customers to improve service value and anticipate trends • Enroll suppliers to improve quality and cycle time • Educate investors to shape expectations • Engage recruits, retirees, community • Build employee brand • Monitor emerging trends Value Creator • Engaging Human Capital: The Link to Strategy • Link to business unit and corporate strategy • Drive high priority strategic initiatives • Extend into performance support Business Partner • Enabling the Workforce: Skills Training • Establish priorities, standards and governance • Champion investment in learning systems • Increase access to training, leadership development • Reduce unit cost through online, self-service delivery Service Provider Time

5. Rapport and relationship Understanding of the situation Discussion about elements of the contract Ways of working together Purposes for the first meeting

6. Introductions use strong voice, firm grip, good look state something positive about opportunity share brief info about you Express affiliation, concern re: the organization, issue Establish an agenda/leadership based on discussion tonight. Create and bring an agenda that structures the meeting. Leave space for flex. Rapport & relationship

7. Establish trust talk about your background share an example of your success admit the absence of expertise in their world, need for SME, remind of student-ness bond re: our project Have they worked with an ID before? define roles-- yours, theirs, SME's, mine, access, timeliness. More on rapport  Establish credibility

8. You’ve met with your client and have a pretty good sense of the situation. She promised to get back to you about when the next meeting will be scheduled, and to send you a package of materials about the organization. She also will schedule a meeting for you with two SMEs. You leave the meeting feeling pretty good about it all. Nothing happens after the meeting. Silence on all sides. Eight business days have passed and no word from her. You email me to ask what to do. What should you do now? Where did you err? What could you do differently? 1. What to do?

9. Might you try this in conversation with your client? A winning approach? “Dr. Rossett says you must respond to me in a timely fashion and you haven’t done that. Those are the rules. You have to follow them.”

10. As soon as you get your client assignment -- and because you want to make a good impression on the client -- you contact your client and set up a meeting. After all, Dr. Rossett said ASAP. You, by the way, have a partner on the effort, as you can tell from the client assignments. You don’t know him. You email him to let him know when the meeting is. He’s not thrilled; he already has an appointment scheduled. You’re not thrilled because you and the client got it all settled and now this guy is trying to make a change in everything. What should you do now? Is this partner going to be a problem? What could you do differently? 2. What to do?

11. Your client is eager for you to get your arms around what new homeowners need to know about earthquake insurance. You want to do an analysis. The client says there’s no time for such study. What he wants is a content outline by next week. You want to please. You want to be successful and appreciated. What should you do now? Did you wind up with the wrong client? Is there any hope? 3. What to do?

12. Seek broad description of the organization What does it do? How does it do it? About what is it most proud? What does the client think you need to know about how it does business? What can you review (web site, annual report)? Seek specifics about why you're there √ Nature of the problem or opportunity? √ What are the optimals? (sources?) √ What is going on currently? (sources?) √ Why haven’t they solved it themselves? Understanding the situation

13. Homework you can do to get up to speed: Meetings to attend? Reports, articles, extant data to read? Who else cares about this? Who else must be included in discussions? Other info you need? √ Learners, audience? √ Key stakeholders? √ Development history? Don’t jump to solutions-- temper their enthusiasm. Understanding the situation

14. Remind that you will be establishing one: - details what will be done (and approximately when) - details honorarium, reimbursements - details roles/responsibilities Start setting contract language Reiterate orally and then in the minutes At each subsequent meeting, press more diligently and bring "straw" language. Begin to talk contract

15. Names, addresses, ph numbers, email Overall purpose of the relationship. This is not an internship. It is your (our) attempt to provide service in the community, focusing on a particular narrow opportunity or challenge. It is not defined by time on site, though you will visit the site. What you will do for them in some detail. Include process efforts (interview engineers; review error data; review the literature on....) and outcomes (update a web site; conduct analysis; create a report and briefing about...) Indicate approximately when you’ll fulfill promises. Contract elements

16. What they will do for you. What is the honorarium? Will they reimburse for travel, materials, software, graphic support? What must you do to get paid and reimbursed? How will you work effectively together? You might say something about your role and their role. Detail timely turnaround for submitted materials, agendas, access to SMEs, etc. When will meetings happen? Signatures, dates. Contract elements

17. Milestone and approval process keep them involved use approval forms specify the key deliverables Necessity for speedy turnaround Preparation of agenda and minutes Establishment of time, frequency for meetings Next steps-- yours, theirs Engineer a positive close Ways of working together

18. "Thank god you're here. I am incredibly booked up, so you're a godsend." ”A web site with photos of the engineers and checklists. No doubt about it. When can you get started?" "I was thinking about something on the history of Western Civilization and that you'd be perfect one to create that curriculum for us." "I'll be your source on absolutely everything. I was a student once and I am the subject matter expert." What will you say/do?

19. "A contract. Whatever for? This will be between us. It’s a good way to become friends." "Unfortunately I have to go out of town for 3 weeks. (my honeymoon, hooray!) I leave tomorrow." "When can you take your results in front of our board?" "Look, this is a very political situation so I want you to be very careful.” “Whatever. No need to show me. Just write it up.” What will you say/do?

20. Focus on the client and his/her/their needs and situation. That’s the best way for you to learn, serve and enjoy. Think about how they are seeing things. Inquire when you can’t infer it. Use reflective listening. “I hear you saying....” Be authentic. Be pithy. Keep it short. Less is more. Be professional. Deliver what you promise, and on time. Speak English, not ID jargon. Don’t lecture them. Influence through examples. • Know when to ask for help--from the client and from me! Have a good time. Affiliate. It’s contagious. In summary

21. You never have a second chance to make a first impression.