What’s Your Gift?

A very wise business coach convinced me that, to be effective, a client relationship should be an accountability environment. So, that’s what I created 2 decades ago. A permission-based accountability relationship with each and every client. But accountable to & for what?

Well, my clients are responsible for getting done the actions I recommend, that only they can do. My job is to spell-out clearly everything that’s supposed to get done, in order to accomplish the objectives my client shares with me and my client gives me permission to hold them accountable to the tasks that only they’re able to do.

Likewise, I am responsible for delivering on all the promises I made to my clients when they hired me. One of my promises is to make sure “everything that needs to get done, to accomplish the client’s goals, actually gets done.” But, in my field, every client has multiple people carrying out different pieces & parts of the client’s goals. For example, on their team, before I was hired, my clients usually have a skilled tax accountant, an experienced Estate Planning lawyer, etc, etc. I’m usually hired to help my client pull all the people & elements together so that there’s a plan on a timeline that meets the client’s target date for a financial goal.

What’s missing in most service businesses is someone in the chain of responsibility stepping up and offering to “coordinate the whole thing,” even when it’s not clear how we’re getting paid for the effort. In the beginning, I gambled that by being the coordinator in charge of all the disparate elements & various people at various firms involved in my client’s financial life, somehow I’d be in a position to make a difference and charge substantially higher fees. My gamble paid off and our fees are frequently 5-10x higher than our competition, and for what? Being the only professional in my client’s life with the ability & willingness to “pull it all together” and drive the entire process forward in a world where normally I would simply be responsible for a small piece of the project.

My recommendation to other service businesses is that if you have a “servant’s heart,” and want to make a bigger difference in your client’s lives, then take on the bigger project you’re a part of, and don’t be surprised when you’re compensated greatly for the value you provide. What seems to be missing in the marketplace at this point in history is people willing to step up, take charge, Identify gaps missing in our client’s lives, and then be willing to lead the charge to fill all those gaps. Consider establishing permission-based accountability relationships with your clients.