Get Naked With Your Clients – A Business Fable For Account Management

The Most Important Skill For Account Management

The old school philosophy of account management teaches best practices, like owning the presentation, preparing for each meeting to the last detail and delivering what you – from behind your desk – think is best for the client and selling them on the idea. Thinking of it, it’s mostly about selling your services every time you pitch to your client. The number one weakness of this approach is that it doesn’t build a relationship with your client, because it lacks what most marketers need to embrace and practice: empathy. The single most important word in our industry that gets forgotten so often, empathy drives significantly better understanding of challenges, successes and what succeeding actually means to the business owner and staff on a personal level. I recently read an amazing and highly recommended book called Getting Naked – A Business Fable by Patrick Lencioni that sheds light on how to practice more empathy and achieve true success for your client and yourself.

About Getting Naked – A Business Fable

I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that the book is actually a fable. Enter the world of Jack Bauer, a management consultant working for a large firm called ‘Kendrick and Black’. He is used to pitching his ideas to clients the old-school way and winning – but not all the time. He describes his biggest competitor, the mysterious Michael Casey from Lighthouse Partners as his least favorite person who he doesn’t know much about, aside from the fact that Casey always wins when him and Jack both pitch a client.

In a strange twist of fate (and great storytelling), Kendrick and Black acquires Lighthouse Partners. As the two companies approach consulting so differently, Jack is sent over to Lighthouse to shadow their practices and learn their management styles. As this is a big opportunity for him to prove his worth and get a long-awaited promotion at Kendrick, Jack is excited, scared and determined, but decides to keep an open mind.

We follow Jack as he tags along to client pitches, consultations and meetings with Lighthouse, and when he does so, he can’t believe his eyes. Lighthouse’s management style is so far from anything he has seen before and seems almost childishly simple, yet so effective, that all their clients trust them and give them great referrals. We learn about their approach through Jack’s inner monologues (and late-night discussions with his wife who always gives the best advice, which I found to be a nice touch to the story). Finally, Jack figures out their method through many failures, and is so moved by their empathy, passion and dedication that he decides to quit Kendrick and Black and join the ranks of Lighthouse Partners. Happy ending.

Best Practices When Managing Clients

So what did Jack find discover changed his mind about account management forever? I loved the fact that at the end of the book, he actually described ‘The Method’ to Lighthouse’s success and broke it down into points. I couldn’t sum up the book better, so here are the best practices you can follow when managing clients:

How To Become A Successful Account Manager

To start, you have to eliminate three major fears:

1. Fear of losing the business. Clients want to know and feel that you are more interested in helping them, than maintaining your own revenue source. This creates trust and authenticity.
2. Fear of being embarrassed. Just like Wayne Gretzky said, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” Don’t be afraid of being laughed at, if anything this shows you have the guts to attack delicate questions and are interested in the business and solving problems. Saving face is less important than helping your client succeed.
3. Fear of feeling inferior. You have to give up any ego and purposefully put yourself at service. This may seem counterintuitive, but if you do whatever it takes to make gains for your client, you will gain their trust as somebody they can always count on.

Best Practices Of Account Management In Action

1. Consult instead of selling. Don’t tell them what you’d do if they were your client, just start solving their problem with them from your very first discussion. This sounds like wasting time for free – in some cases that’s true, but mostly you will be rewarded by gaining trust. Just get out there and start helping people with what you do best and watch your returns roll in.
2. Give away the business. Err on the client side, understand their business, industry and budget, and grow with them at their pace. They look at you as part of their business, so act like you’re a member of the family.
3. Tell the kind truth. Even if they don’t like to hear it and it leads to awkward / uncomfortable situations, our job as Account Managers is to deflate any elephant in the room and ‘enter the danger’ – this pays off handsomely as you resolve problems your client hasn’t been able to. Make sure to practice kindness, empathy and respect when you do so. Know your audience and present your suggestions accordingly.
4. Ask dumb questions / make dumb suggestions. You are an outsider looking into the crystal globe of a company, so go forth and send / pitch them all your ideas. You never know when a question that may seem obvious can result in a new opportunity they haven’t thought of.
5. Celebrate your mistakes. Call them out and take responsibility. Showing integrity to your client goes a long way and increases customer loyalty and trust.
6. Take a bullet for your client. Sometimes you have to face really uncomfortable situations and take the position of your client. This may seem counterintuitive and enabling, but if you combine it with telling the kind truth right after, this can help you build loyalty and be looked at as one of their own.
7. Make everything about the client. Make it clear that your goal here is to understand, honour and support your client, downplay your accomplishments and let the client discover them themselves. This path of learning leaves a much deeper mark than tooting your own horn.
8. Honour the client’s work. Take active interest in the client’s industry, business and what it achieves for their customers, and show that you respect what they do.
9. Do the dirty work. Stay humble and more concerned about your client than yourself to earn their loyalty and gratitude. If necessary, plan dinner menus and run microphone cables at their event and expect appreciation for your dedication.
10. Admit your weaknesses and limitations. We all have them, and if you try to cover them up they will eventually surface, putting you in a more difficult situation than being upfront about it. You will also be wearing yourself out by trying to do something you aren’t good at. Focus on where you and your client’s business can thrive.

I have printed out and tacked these 10 points on my wall and read them every day. Are you using any of these best practices? If yes, how have they affected your relationships with your clients? Please share your thoughts in the comment section!