What Does it Mean to “Provide Impact” in Client Engagement?

One of the points of emphasis at RESET is to help our service provider clients understand how to “provide impact” when developing solutions to solve a target client’s problems.

It’s helpful to understand what this actually means in client engagement so that your team can advance from simply showing up and hoping to win work to actually being leveraged for value and impact.

I’ll walk you through this customer engagement strategy to support your team’s efforts, help you re-think how you are presenting your product or service to the market, and understand how to improve customer engagement to deliver long-term revenue growth in your company.

Create an Opportunity to Provide Impact in Client Engagement

Before you can provide impact, you first need to understand how to break free from the old way of approaching clients. The painful procurement cycle has entrapped too many good companies in a never-ending cycle of responding to RFPs without critical evaluation, trying to win on price, and compromising along the way simply trying to win work.

No more. This old approach is full of pitfalls and stunted growth with no real opportunity to provide impact in customer relationships. It’s transactional; not relational.

Instead, the more beneficial approach to client engagement is centered on authentic connection. One of the key components is being able to identify and embrace the problem behind the problem that your target client is facing.

When your team develops the right habits around actively seeking out the larger problem that your client is trying to solve, then you will create an amazing opportunity to provide impact.

You are no longer focused on trying to win one piece of scope or win a short-term project just responding to a basic need. Instead, your team will be best positioned to win larger pieces of scope and win accounts. These will turn into larger opportunities for customer retention to consistently be leveraged for value and impact.

How the Conversation Changes During Customer Interactions

When you embrace authentic connection with clients, your team will notice a rapid change in how the sales conversation unfolds. The target client will stop asking basic questions around scope, required hours to complete a project, and procurement diligence.

Instead, when your client sees that your team grasps their larger problem and can make recommendations that solve the problem behind the problem, they will start to ask for your opinions and experience.

You’re no longer just another company in their long list of potential service providers. Now, you’re seen as valuable and capable. The door is wide open to provide impact.

But, your team needs to work on developing the right habits about how to present your solution through an effective customer communication approach with clients.

How to Communicate Your Value and Impact

Imagine your company is now in the position of being viewed as a potentially valuable partner. Your team is having productive conversations about how to solve the larger problem the client is facing. There seems to be eagerness and anticipation of how this can come together.

This is where the rubber meets the road when it’s time to present your comprehensive solution to the C-Suite or management. What’s the best approach? What I have found is that too many service providers stick to their old approach of talking about features, functionality, and what you do. That should not be the driving force of your presentation.

Instead, create your narrative! Make it clear how your solution provides impact. Broaden out from how many cool features you offer to connect the impact of your solution to how this addresses the larger problem.

It’s an art. And, it takes time to develop the ideal approach to make it clear that you are competent, as well as valuable. So, what’s the right type of message to create clarity around your ability to create impact?

Focus on how your solution ties back to helping your target client reach their goals. Perhaps your client is focused on optimizing revenue, freeing up cash flow to fund other capital projects, providing better customer service to existing customers, or some other form of customer satisfaction improvement.

When you capture their goals, identify the larger problem they are trying to solve, and present a comprehensive solution that ties this all together, you will be in the sweet spot of ready to provide impact.

Work With RESET to Develop Client Engagement Habits

Engagement can be clumsy when you embrace a new approach to client engagement. Your target client may be accustomed to the traditional sales approach built on protecting their interests and their leadership team. But, don’t be discouraged by initial pushback. Keep pursuing authentic connection until your target client recognizes that your team stands out in a positive way compared to other potential service providers on their list.

We can help your team build the appropriate habits around client engagement. We’ll identify your current habits, work to develop new habits, and provide coaching on how to foster a sense of customer loyalty among your target clients that will lead to more opportunities to be leveraged for value and impact.

Remember that the key to long-term revenue growth is not through transactional thinking or a transactional approach to client engagement. Focus on how you can build authentic connection with each target client. This will build over time so that you can create faster, more sustainable revenue. By following this approach, your company will grow in a more collaborative and intelligent way.

When you are ready to provide impact and not just get hired, contact our team to discuss coaching opportunities that we offer. We would appreciate the opportunity to walk you through our proven approach to successful client engagement.

– Send us a message today to discuss coaching opportunities.