Make Yourself Indispensable
I recently came across an article by Dave Archer, CEO of Nevada’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology (NCET) entitled “Keeping Clients in a Slow Economy.” While there were many good points made within the article, the topic that stuck out to me the most was: Look for ways to make your company indispensable.
As companies continue to struggle, they will examine their budgets and remove any “non-essential services.” So it’s more important than ever to prove you’re a valuable asset to your client so you avoid being cut with the others.
The problem is that we often don’t think in these terms as it relates to our clients. To make yourself indispensable to your client involves much more than simply just providing them with a product or service. To me, it means that you are providing them with something so valuable they feel like they could never afford to sever ties.
Here are some questions to ask yourself to see if you have made yourself indispensable to your client:
- Have you helped your client bring in additional revenue outside your product or service?
- Have you helped your client cut costs outside your product or service?
- Have you introduced your clients to associates who could help them in their business?
- Does your client call you for guidance on topics outside your product or service?
- Does your client view you as an order-taker or someone willing to bring new and innovative ideas to their business?
The most noticeable trend with the questions above is that you must seek ways to help your client outside just your product or service. Your client must know you are sincerely trying to help them grow their business in whatever way you can. Once they realize that you truly care about them and their business rather than just the product you’re selling is when you start to become indispensable to your client.