What it Takes for a Big Six Client to Sell and Service

What does it take to get 55 managing partners to define and agree upon the process required to sell and service their clients?

PROBLEM

Managing Partners needed to define their process of selling to and servicing their clients.

PARTICIPANTS:

55 Managing Partners at their Corporate Retreat

BACKGROUND:

Out with the old, in with the new.

Traditionally, each partner brought in his or her own clients, primarily through client referrals, networking, and socializing.

Not only would they be responsible for selling to potential clients, but they would also analyze, strategize and assign all work associated with servicing the new client. Basic maintenance work was delegated.

RESULTS:

After a fun session of understanding the behavioral styles of ourselves and others, we spent the next session defining exactly what steps were required to sell and service their clients.

Each stage was then analyzed to determine which behaviors were most appropriate for that segment of the selling-servicing cycle.

Five different roles were defined and analyzed, then compared to their preferred behavioral styles, facilitating understanding of their current personal competencies and strengths.

Some partners were very surprised that different styles were required to make up a good functioning team, and that such a well-defined team is key to exemplary sales and service.

We ended with a wonderfully spirited game of "Super Bowl", where each partner's style was displayed with numbers instead of names. The eight groups were to individually determine the composition of what they thought was the best team to "go all the way."

After the requisite lottery to determine selection order, a draft was held. Each team tried to compose the draft picks for their ideal team. A trading period then commenced. Following that, each team argued for what they had the ideal team, while the previous team presented the weaknesses. The competition was intense, and spirits high.

BOTTOM LINE:

Every participant walked away with an enlightened perspective on themselves, their own redefined role in the process of selling and servicing their client base, and a knowledge-based understanding of how best to define their own teams.