do you know your clients?

I have been encouraging our Account Managers to increase their face time with clients. Our market – the recruiting market has some very client particular indicators that are hard to read in an email. When the economy was kicking our clients were an easier read –desperate for talent and needing us to be working the candidate market hard for them. We are lucky to have some great clients, and a good number are still in high gear, but as the economy cools it is much more important for us to be connected to our clients’ strategic, tactical and immediate needs. The obvious reason for this is the competitive nature of the recruiting market but the true reason is that our business is contingent recruiting so we have a vested interest in having an intimate understanding of our clients needs. If we don’t understand something then we aren’t successful and will not get paid. In our recent management meeting I was fairly ambiguous about what information need to gather from our clients –This is fairly uniform regardless of the service you offer and should include:

Are there any new or upcoming strategic initiatives impacting their business?
Are they getting a ROI on the service (people) we have provided?
What are the biggest factors impacting their business and what type of person would make the biggest impact.

Meetings can be a great source of value for both client and vendor. If you have the right clients they should look forward to seeing you (this is a good test of who you choose to have as a client). If the information you receive is documented and collected in a database and is shared with all the members of your team then you have significantly enhanced you ability to get to the next level. Congrats.

two laws of email

Have you sent emails that you wish you could recall?-
(recall for real, not the lame recall built in to Outlook).

I have tried hard to follow these rules for years but just yesterday I was a bad boy....

Law # 1: If your email has the possibility to illicit a negative emotional response then don't send it. Deliver it in person or at least via phone so you have a chance to reconcile in real time.

Law #2: If you break law # 1, apologize asap.

Positivity is a Choice and is Magnetic

My good friend and G-Net TV President John Rosenberg comments that so many bloggers choose to “go negative” and are a bunch of whiners. He commented that my first few posts could be leading me down that dark path. Thank you John. Unfortunately there is something in human nature that makes going negative all too easy. Negative thinking can suck the life out of your aspirations and the image that you project to your peers.

People want to do business with successful and happy people. This obvious fact can be easily under appreciated. If you consider the inverse statement, it's hard to argue the accuracy. So... either be a good actor or enjoy the journey, project a positive self image and enjoy the benefits of going positive.