1. GIVING YOUR BEST CLIENTS THE BEST SERVICE
PRESENTED BY SAM M. ALLRED,
DIRECTOR AT UPSTREAM ACADEMY

2. Our Focus for 60 Minutes
What are you willing to do for your best clients that you wouldn’t do for all the rest? 
Getting past parity is hard, but maintaining it ties the firm’s hands, making it nearly impossible to give A-level clients the A-level service they deserve.  Today we’ll discuss key principles and I’ll provide solid recommendations on how you can start giving the best service to your best clients. 

3. Session Map Observations about your best clients
Turning your best clients into raving fans
Questions and answers
questions to

4.  Observations About Your Best Clients

5. Observation #1
Firms across our profession serve four categories of clients: A-D level clients.
Firms that divide their clients into these four ratings will find that it produces an almost perfect bell curve with the majority of clients falling into the B & C categories.

6. Observation #2
You derive a significant amount of profit, satisfaction, and reputation from your A-level clients.

7. Observation #3
Serving A-level clients improves your quality of life substantially because these clients are better able to help you perform successful engagements.

8. Observation #4
Your A-level clients are thoroughly enjoyable to work with, seldom put a pit in your stomach, provide great growth opportunities for your best people, and play a bigger role in staff retention than you probably give them credit for.
You probably learn as much or more from your best clients as you teach them.

9. Observation #5
Most firms in our profession claim to give great client service. Firm leaders often believe their service is what sets them apart from competitors.
A regular flow of referrals from satisfied clients is the only reliable indicator of exceptional client service.

10. Observation #6
The only clients for whom you can establish a reputation for exceptional service are your A-level clients.

11. Observation #7
Delivering exceptional service leads to increased client loyalty, which leads to increased profitability.
Client loyalty is becoming increasingly important during this era of retirements.

12. Observation #8
Many within our profession call themselves trusted advisors. In reality, too many are record-keeping historians and not forward-thinking trusted advisors.

13. Which Role Do You Play? Historian Trusted Advisor Mostly reactive
Time spent with the client is mostly consumed by looking at the past 12 months
Acts as sounding board only when asked
Performs the same services year after year with little variation
Not willing to be vulnerable
Mostly proactive
Majority of the time with the client is spent looking forward not backward
Regularly offers fresh ideas
Consistently recommends innovative solutions
Willing to brainstorm with the client for solutions

14. Which Role Do You Play? Historian Trusted Advisor
The meter runs with almost every client interaction
Compliance focused
Works below pay grade
Holds a mistaken belief that compliance work is a client’s top drawer issue
Tries to keep the historical team in place to use as little time as possible
Regularly invests time to understand each client’s unique needs
Consulting focused
Works at pay grade
Makes a consistent effort to inquire about, learn about, and focus on the top issues
Has a desire to bring in new team members to benefit the client

15. Observation #9
You are not likely to move from trusted historian to trusted advisor unless you’re willing to spend time with your best clients – without the meter running.

16. Observation #10
The challenge for many in making the move to trusted advisor is that a partner in our profession can have a successful career serving as a client’s trusted historian.

17. Observation #11
It’s a safe assumption that the majority of A and B level clients would prefer a trusted advisor relationship over a trusted historian relationship.

18. Observation #12
One of your primary goals in serving our A-level clients should be to turn them into raving fans. We want all the referrals we can get from our best clients.

19. Observation #13
One of the safest and fastest ways to drive profitable organic growth is to generate a significant amount of new work each year from your very best clients.

20. “Invest heavily in your existing clients by demonstrating an interest in their affairs. Don’t invest anything at all in winning new clients until you’re sure you’ve captured all the best opportunities in your existing client base!”
David H. Maister

21. Observation #14
Your number one referral source should be your very best clients. They should be the ones who are ecstatic about your level of service.
What are the stories your best clients are telling about you to everyone they come in contact with?

22.  Turning Your Best Clients Into Raving Fans

23. The raving fans strategy is really very simple – treat your very best clients in a way that causes them to become raving fans, actively sharing with others the benefits they receive as clients of your firm.
In order to do this, you must treat them differently than other clients.

24. Here’s The Question To Brainstorm
What could you do to treat your A-clients differently than all other clients and turn them into Raving Fans?
The following slides contain thoughts and ideas for serving your best clients differently.

25. Assign Your Best Service Teams
Assign your best service teams to your very best clients
Use these teams to bring a constant stream of new and creative ideas to your best clients

26. Be Very Proactive With Them
Hold regular brainstorming meetings to learn about and help address many of the top issues these clients are facing
Make simple telephone calls just to check up on them
Calendar planning meetings with these clients throughout the year

27. Provide Specialized Training
Proactively meet with your best clients to help them understand and implement necessary changes for new standards and laws
Host CPE events for client accounting professionals
Provide seminars for these clients either at their site or in smaller groups in your firm

28. Invest Time To Learn Their Business
Attend industry conferences with them
Participate in an annual walk-through of their business
Subscribe to their industry publications
Attend client meetings at no charge

29. Invest Time To Learn Their Business
Help them address key initiatives/challenges in their industry by helping them find new solutions
Use 50% of your BD time helping your best clients
Connect at deeper levels within the client organization

30. Establish Standards Of Service
Establish service standards for your best clients (appropriate response time, setting meetings, brainstorming sessions, assignment of your best people, providing cell numbers, etc.)
Create a written service plan for your best clients
Know the names of key individuals working for your A-level clients

31. Give Preferential Treatment
Provide more top firm leadership presence with these clients (outside traditional client work)
Take key clients to top events in your community
Develop a plan for annual contact with the client’s other trusted advisors

32. Give Preferential Treatment
Find a way to support the top causes of your best clients
Encourage team members to purchase from your very best clients
Review the client website on a regular basis to both evaluate the site and to understand what they have going on

33. Turn Them Into Raving Fans
Take time during the engagement planning sessions to identify how you will WOW the client “this year”

34. Questions and Answers Email questions to sama@upstreamacademy.com

35. Upcoming Events Management Presentations Emerging Leaders Academy
Giving Your Best Clients the Best Service: December 4 and 17, 2014
If You Build It, They Will Come (and Stay): January 21 and 29, 2015
Emerging Leaders Academy
ELA Informational Call: January 20, 2015, 1pm Eastern
Registration Deadline: May 15, 2015
HeadWaters Leadership Conference
Park City, Utah
July 9-10, 2015

36. Thank You!