HEDGING YOUR CLIENT'S SUCCESS: THE INTERNAL CAMPAIGN
(May/June 2004 Issue)

Success breeds success. Your successful clients will spread good news and send referrals. But some of the clients you work with will give up. Are they your "failures"? Will they spread bad news about your work?

Not if you hedge their success.

I've written before about how important it is to set things up in your practice so you can be there at the finish line with a client. Without real measurable success (i.e. a new job, promotion, or viable own business), you lack an
essential ingredient for a thriving practice: referrals & testimonials.

"But," you say, "How do I get a testimonial out of clients like these: they start off excited and full of hope and optimism, but eventually they lose heart, and they stop interviewing and end up staying right in the job they started
with."

Answer: the internal campaign.

Make every employed client you work with do an internal campaign. That way, even if the external job search fizzles, at least they can say, "And my career advisor helped me get my promotion." [You can't do this with your unemployed clients, of course, but you don't need to… unlike your employed clients, economically the unemployed have no choice, they will get reemployed.]

So now you win either way. If they get a new job, hurray; if not, they'll get a promotion or measurable advancement on the job.

Most clients will resist the internal campaign. "I don't want to stay where I work now, so why should I conduct a job campaign inside my company? It's like arranging deck chairs on the Titanic -- what's the point?"

"Because the practice and strategy will serve you well in your next job," you tell them. "Since you're ready to leave anyway, you might be able to take some communication risks that will improve things." This is the truth! It's
especially true for clients who are ready, and can afford, to just quit their job. Before they do, why not try to fix things? It will at least be practice for the next job (which won't be perfect, even though it might be great).

Practically speaking, here’s what to do.
1) No later than your 2nd or 3rd meeting, have your client write a big list of their gripes about the job. What's wrong with the job.

2) Together target one or two gripes and what you can do about them.

3) Then, describe what would have to be in place to make the current job terrific.

4) Make an action plan that includes an organizational chart so you know the players, the visibility points in the organization; figure out what matters most to the key people; strategize communications that could affect a positive
change, etc., etc.,

Set goals and check up on progress in your regular client meetings.

95% of the time you'll make a significant difference along the way! Then, if your client chooses to stay, they'll still have something positive to say about you and your services; if they get a new job, ditto!

The bottom line is...
You'll feel better about your work = more sales,
They'll feel better = more referrals = more sales.

So, always work both sides of the fence.

Jack Chapman is author of:
Negotiating Your Salary: How to Make $1000 a Minute
He is a career consultant in private practice and runs ongoing support and training teleconference sessions for career consultants in private practice.
He can be reached at 847-251-4727 or jkchapman@aol.com