For Consultants and Service Providers
A special service
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The Power of Feedback
Whether you are a consultant or trainer in the area of organizational effectiveness or whether you offer services in advertising, real estate, event planning, financial planning, tax accounting, insurance, architecture, home remodeling, interior design, computers, or any number of other fields, your success depends on the value you give your clients as seen through their eyes. Do you know why they chose you? ...what they loved and didn't love about your work? ...if they'd use you again? ...if they'll refer you to others? We provide a simple, cost-effective service to help consultants and other service providers learn from their client engagements and to secure repeat business.
The Opportunities
Your clients know better than anyone the impact of the services you provide. Do you always get the feedback you need? Soliciting an in-depth description of the value you added is not always easy. You can ask, but to probe at length can feel like over-tooting your horn. A third-party interviewer is not limited in the same way. And, if there are areas where your client was less-than-dazzled by your work, having an outside party ask about these protects them from the potential discomfort of delivering bad news to you, directly. They're more likely to be candid, so you get more complete and truthful data.
Truthful feedback from your clients
can be gold for your career growth.
Seeing the significance of your
contributions can even help you
think differently
about
how you market yourself. And, of
course, hearing about a perceived
shortcoming will help you self-correct
next time. We can solicit feedback
about your most recent engagement
or interview clients from several past
projects to uncover any recurring themes.
Our interviews with your clients are oriented strongly toward the positive. We start with the assumption that you did many more things right than wrong. We also believe that people learn best by building on their strengths rather than over-focusing on their shortcomings. As your client describes the skills that make you stand out from other consultants and the value you added, they are reminded of the benefits of your services. The conversation then turns to other work they might have on the horizon. We can fill them in on skills you have that they might not know about. And—voila!—you're front and center in their minds for their next project.
In the event that everything didn't go splendidly in your last project,
we can surface that, too. Perhaps
they were
awed by your technical expertise
but less-than-wowed by your "bedside
manner." Perhaps an awkward issue
was left unresolved. If you know
about these, you have a chance
to go back to
your client and repair the damage,
improving upon your last project
even as you make
yourself more attractive for future work.
The Steps
The first time we speak, you and I would
discuss the services you offer,
your skill set, and the types
of projects you prefer. I would
review your
web site and whatever else you
thought was important
to my learning about you.
You can ask any questions you want
about me.
Next, you explain the project
you want feedback on—the goal of
the consultation, how well you
think it was achieved, what you
saw as your
strengths and contributions, who
best to ask to validate your perceptions,
and any worries about certain events
or people. We compile an interview
list.
The list could contain anywhere
from one to a dozen people or
more.
If you knew at the beginning of your
project that you would be soliciting
feedback at the end, you would
already have prepared your client for
my call(s).
You might even have built all or
part of the costs of my services into
your
initial contract. If not, this
is the time to inform them that, as part
of
your commitment to improving your
services, you structure in a feedback
mechanism
at the end. You obtain their permission
to speak to me.
At the optimal time (as specified by you) after the project, I do the interview(s) by phone. The conversation focuses first and foremost on your strengths and project achievements, then on areas for improvement. Questions can be customized to explore particular areas you want to know about. Others can be generic (a few appear below as examples). I probe for details to get you the clearest possible picture of what your client thinks.
- "Did ___'s work with you (/your organization) have the results you'd hoped for?"
- "What did ___ do that had the most positive impact?"
- "What skills does ___ have that set him/her apart from other consultants/providers you've worked with?"
- "Is there anything that you wish ___ would have handled differently? "
- "Does anything feel incomplete about the project?"
- "Were the results worth the investment?"
- "Would you call ___ back again for the same type of activity?"
Finally, the conversation turns to new
work on the horizon. This is where
my knowing your skills and preferences
is
so useful. Your client might not
know the full extent of your capabilities.
I can remind them of these and,
if the fit is
right, I can offer to have you
call them to
explore the new opportunity.
I relay the results to you, maintaining
as much source-anonymity as possible
and/or desired. We talk until you have
all the information you need. I can also
add, for your consideration, suggested
solutions and ideas from my own consulting
experiences and those of other consultants
I know. You take it from there!
The Benefits
- You get feedback that helps you grow professionally.
- You not only get to improve your services over time, but even get the chance to go back and "clean up" loose ends left in past engagements.
- Your client gets reminded of you and your skills, thereby increasing the chance that they'll consider you for more work.
- The fact that you have taken the initiative to learn from your experience establishes you as more professional than those who don't bother, making you more attractive to clients.
- Soliciting feedback on several past projects can help you discover themes in your clients' perceptions of your work.
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