At the Vistage National CEO Conference, author Patrick Lencioni taught us how to get naked and shed our fears that sabotage client loyalty. Lencioni is the author of
At its core, getting naked boils down to the ability to be vulnerable, to embrace uncommon levels of humility, selflessness and transparency for the good of a client.
Most of us live our lives trying to avoid awkward and painful situations, which is why it is no surprise that we are all susceptible to the three fears that sabotage client loyalty which include:
- Fear of Losing the Business – Worrying about losing a client’s business may cause service
providers and consultants to avoid the very things that ultimately engender trust and loyalty. - Fear of Being Embarrassed – Rooted in pride, this fear can lead service providers to withhold their best ideas from clients.
- Fear of Feeling Inferior – To avoid feeling irrelevant or being overlooked, consultants try to achieve and preserve a high level of importance in clients’ minds.
Lencioni shares with us that ” clients are more interested in candor, modesty and transparency than they are in confidence, authority and perfection. That’s not to say that competence is irrelevant; clients need to know that we have the knowledge and experience to help them. But once we’ve reached that level,the best way to differentiate ourselves from competition – not to mention help a client implement the ideas we’re recommending to them – is to be vulnerable with them.”
You can see an excerpt of Pat talking about Getting Naked here: http://www.tablegroup.com/2010webinars/2010/4/14/
For me, his talk was an important reminder to not hold back but to tell the truth, kindly. Thank you Patrick Lencioni for a great presentation!
