Creating A Successful Relationship With the Client

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Creating A Successful RelationshipWith the
Client
Allison Rossett
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At the heart of the matter--
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You never get a second chance to make a first
impression.
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• Tonight--
• thinking about your challenge, project, client
  in light of the literature
• enjoying success at this first meeting

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Thinking about your situation

• Three kinds of likely consulting relationships,
  according to Dormant and Rutt
• Product relationship where client wants a video
  to do X, or a web site to do Y.
• Prescriptive relationship where client wants
  help figuring out what to do about something
  specific
• Process relationship where client wants ongoing
  support and the effort results in their own
  development.
• Which type of situation is dominant in 795A?
  Why? Under what circumstances is a product
  relationship appropriate? inappropriate?

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Purposes for the first meeting

• Rapport and relationship
• Understanding of the situation
• Discussion about elements of the contract
• Ways of working together

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More on rapport

• Establish trust
• talk about your background
• share an e.g. of your success
• admit the absence of expertise in their world,
  need for SME, remind of student-ness
• bond re our project
• Have they worked with an ID before?
• define roles-- yours, theirs, SME's, mine,
  access, timeliness.

? Establish credibility
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1. What to do?

• You have met with your client and gotten a
  pretty good sense of the situation. She promised
  to get back to you about when the next meeting
  will be scheduled, and to send you a package of
  materials about the organization. She also will
  schedule a meeting for you w. two SMEs. You leave
  the meeting feeling pretty good abt it all.
• Nothing happens after the meeting. Silence on
  all sides. Eight business days have passed and no
  word from her. What should you do?
• What should you do now? Where did you err? What
  could you do differently?

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2. What to do?

• You schedule a meeting with your client. You
  arrive with an agenda all set to go. Alas, he
  forgot the meeting and once you finally get in
  the door, he takes four calls during your 45
  minute session. The project looks good he was
  open to some of the narrowing you suggested. He
  informs you that hell be leaving next week for a
  major Asia Pacific business trip, but tells you
  not to worry.
• Should you worry? What should you do now? What
  errors could you make?

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• Might you try this in conversation with your
  client? A winning approach?
• Dr. Rossett says you must respond to me in a
  timely fashion and you havent done that.
  Those are the rules. You have to follow them.

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3. What to do?

• As soon as you get your client assignment,
  because you want to make a good impression on the
  client, you contact your client and set up a
  meeting. After all, Dr. Rossett said ASAP.
• You have a partner on the effort, as you can tell
  from the client assignments. You dont know him.
• You email him to let him know when the meeting
  is. Hes not thrilled he already has a doctors
  appointment scheduled. Youre not thrilled
  because you and the client got it all settled and
  now your partner is trying to make a change in
  everything.
• What should you do now? Is this partner going to
  be a problem? What could you do differently?

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4. What to do?

• Your client is eager for you to get your arms
  around what new homeowners need to know about
  earthquake insurance.
• You want to do an analysis.
• The client says theres no time for such study.
  What he wants is a content outline by next week.
• You want to please. You want to be successful and
  appreciated.
• What should you do now? Did you wind up with the
  wrong client? Is there any hope for success?

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Understanding the situation

• Seek broad description of the organization
• what does it do? how does it do it?
• about what is it most proud?
• what does the client think you need to know about
  how they do business?
• what can you review? web site? Annual report?
• Seek specifics about why you're there (FTF)
• nature of the problem or opportunity?
• v what are the optimals? other sources?
• v what is going on currently? sources
• - why haven't they solved it themselves?

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Understanding the situation

• Homework you can do to get up to speed
• meetings to attend?
• reports, articles, extant data to read?
• Who else cares about this? Who else must be
  included in discussions?
• v learners, audience? do they care? development
  history?
• v colleagues?
• v executives? do they care?
• Dont jump to solutions-- temper their
  enthusiasm. Youll be back with a tailored
  approach.

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Begin to talk contract

• Remind that you will be establishing one
• exactly what will be done
• detailing honorarium, reimbursements
• explain why a contract is good
• Start setting contract language
• Reiterate orally and then in the minutes
• At each subsequent meeting, press more diligently
  and bring "straw" language. Contract examples
  are on Blackboard, in Course Information

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Contract elements

• Names, addresses, ph numbers, email
• Overall purpose of the relationship. This is not
  an internship. It is your (our) attempt to
  provide service in the community, focusing on a
  particular narrow opportunity or challenge. It
  is not defined by time on site, though you will
  visit the site.
• What you will do for them in some detail.
  Include process efforts (interview engineers
  review error data review the literature on....)
  and outcomes (update a web site conduct
  analysis create a report and briefing about...)
  Indicate approximately when youll fulfill
  promises.

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Contract elements

• What they will do for you. What is the
  honorarium? Will they reimburse for travel,
  materials, software, graphic support? What must
  you do to get paid and reimbursed?
• How will you work effectively together? You
  might say something about your role and their
  role. Detail timely turnaround for submitted
  materials, agendas, access to SMEs, etc. When
  will meetings happen?
• Signatures, dates.
• Look at EGS on Bb, EDTEC 644 Course Information

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Ways of working together

• Milestone and approval process
• keep them involved
• use approval forms
• specify the key deliverables
• Necessity for speedy turnaround
• Preparation of agenda and minutes
• Establishment of time, frequency for meetings
• Next steps-- yours, theirs
• Engineer a positive close

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What will you say/do?

• "Thank god you're here. I am incredibly booked
  up, so you're a godsend."
• A web site with photos of the engineers and
  checklists. No doubt about it. When can you get
  started?"
• "I was thinking about something on the history of
  Western Civilization and that you'd be the
  perfect one to create that curriculum for us."
• "I'll be your source on absolutely everything. I
  was a student once and I am the subject matter
  expert."

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What will you say/do?

• "A contract. Whatever for? This will be between
  us. Heck, were already fast friends."
• "Unfortunately I have to go out of town for 3
  weeks. (my honeymoon, hooray!) I leave
  tomorrow."
• "When can you take your results in front of our
  board?"
• "Look, this is a very political situation so I
  want you to be very careful.
• Whatever. No need to show me. Just write it up.

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In summary

• Focus on the client and their needs and
  situation. Thats the best way for you to learn,
  serve and enjoy.
• Think about how they are seeing things. Inquire
  when you cant infer it.
• Use reflective listening. I hear you
  saying....
• Be authentic.
• Be pithy. Keep it short. Less is more.
• Be professional. Deliver what you promise, and
  on time.
• Speak English not ID jargon.
• Dont lecture them. Influence through examples.
• Have a good time. Affiliate. Its contagious.

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• You never have a second chance to make a first
  impression.

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• Whats worrying you?
• How can I behelpful tonight?