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160 The McKinsey Mind

tion. More often than not, however, it is a challenging and frus-
trating effort. If you’re in sales, you know just how difficult it is
to be on the constant hunt for new business. Even if you’re not in
sales, if you’re in the business world, then you have a client some-
where whom you have to satisfy.
In this chapter we will look at three areas of client manage-
ment: obtaining, maintaining, and retaining. The concept of
obtaining clients is clear—to have clients to manage, you have to
get them in the first place. Client maintenance is the steps you take
to keep your client engaged in and happy with your progress dur-
ing the course of a project. We distinguish this from retention—the
fine art of getting follow-on work from a client after a project is
finished. As you will see, the experiences of McKinsey alumni in
these areas can help you build an expanding portfolio of happy
clients.

OBTAINING CLIENTS

This section focuses on the tools and techniques that will help you
win new client business. The lessons you will read here are unlikely
to show up in traditional sales books and journals for one funda-
mental reason: we believe that the best selling is done by not
selling.

THE McKINSEY WAY
McKinsey has a unique approach to obtaining clients.
How to sell without selling. If you ask a McKinsey consultant
how the Firm sells its services, you will be told, in a slightly
haughty tone, that McKinsey doesn’t sell. That’s only partly true.