Page 190 - Executive Warfare

EXECUTIVE W ARF ARE

You have to layer your clients and donors and concentrate on the
important ones. Is their importance measured by the size of the checks
they send, by how long they’ve been sending those checks and what are
their relationships with the people above you like? If the answers to those
questions are big, a long time, and very tight, they need to be coddled by
your team.
They shouldn’t expect that they’re going to be able to see you for every-
thing. But you still have to pay attention. In the advertising business, they
taught us that you have to make every client feel that he is your only client.
That’s good advice. If an important client is going to be in the building,
drop in at the meeting, even if you are
not expected. It’s a show of respect. Call
IN THE him every now and then to see how
ADVERTISING things are going. Make sure your people
BUSINESS, THEY understand that if there is any hint of a
TAUGHT US THAT problem, you’re to know about it. And
YOU HAVE TO MAKE if there is a serious problem, be pre-
EVERY CLIENT FEEL pared to get on a plane in order to
THAT HE IS YOUR soothe the savage beast.
ONLY CLIENT. The second thing you have to do to
THAT’S GOOD keep important clients happy is be
ADVICE. accessible at the drop of a hat. If the
client really counts, make sure that she
has your home phone number—not
just your cell phone, but your home phone. Say to that client,“If there’s a
problem, call me any time.”
I’ve had disasters happen more than once on a Friday. Inventory
wasn’t delivered, a television commercial was deemed horrible, or pay-
ments for group insurance were not deducted on time. Whatever the
problem, the result was chaos at the clients’ offices. The only thing that
kept those disasters from becoming catastrophes was the fact that the
clients had my home phone number.

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