The Owners' Manual | Issue 15 | Spring 2019

How does Client Care enhance Business Development?

MUHLBAUER | Client Care is a primary component of business development. When we create a potential opportunity there is a commitment of some sort to a client. That may be a promise to provide a qualifications package, or perhaps a proposal. We need to make good on those commitments. Accountability and responsiveness are core competencies of client care that are in play here. Those competencies often rely on internal client care to follow through on those commitments. For instance, if a promise is made to submit a proposal, or to meet a client to look at a site, our internal professionals that are assigned to that task need to adopt that opportunity as their own. Only when we can take care of each other internally can we succeed in taking care of our external clients.

MANCINI | • We get repeat business from existing clients • Our clients become our biggest supporters to other possible clients • We begin to separate ourselves from our competitors if BL makes a mistake, the Client is more likely to not be as “upset” with BL and the relationship continues. CARLSON | Great client care allows for BL to get repeat business with the same client. It also means the client is going to recommend BL to other people and we could end up with additional clients and opportunities. Great Client care also means

BLICKLEY | Two ways; first by providing existing clients good client care we protect our existing relationship and hopefully are able to generate return work. Secondly, good client care serves to improve BL’ s reputation in the market. This gives us leverage when trying to make new connections, for example - we do work for a PM at FedEx and do a good job with client care, he/she then happens to know a PM at UPS and is then willing to give us a solid recommendation/ introduction.