16. The Difference Between Maximizing and Stabilizing a Client Relationship

It’s not about what you can get from it but always about what you can give to it.

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“Maximizing” sounds better than “stabilizing”, right? After all, why wouldn’t you want to get the maximum from any relationship, most of all from a client? Maybe, but this misunderstands the basis of the client relationship; it’s not about what you can get from it but always about what you can give to it. Focus on how you can elevate the relationship to make it productive and enduring. Get that right and the rest will follow. In other words, client relationships are maximized by what you put into them, and as a result they’re stable and long-lasting.

How then do you maximize a client relationship, to make it stable and long lasting? It’s easy to fall into the trap of “revenue thinking” where you get a new assignment and focus on how much you can bill. Yes, that will maximize the assignment, but it won’t maximize the relationship. Let’s take an example. Suppose your practice is in finance, and a client asks you to advise on a large cross-border investment. There’s a lot at stake, it’s specialist work, and you can charge top dollar. You do a fine job and the client pays the bill without question. It sounds OK, right?

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