Building relationships that last
How to make client relationships last
Over the last 40 years, at Proctor + Stevenson we’ve been lucky to be able to build many long-lasting client relationships. Some of these go back over several decades, across different industries, sectors and continents. And as they move, we have moved and grown with them.
Why is that?
I believe that it comes down to some key factors that can be encapsulated by the following – innovation, evolution, reliability and solutions. These seem to be a good basis for most enterprises.
Innovation
This can be an overused word and hard to prove. However, where an appropriate solution doesn’t exist, we develop our own because, after all, we are full of creative, inventive people.
We are independent and so we decide whether we want to be leading edge, or even sometimes ‘bleeding edge’, even if it does have an adverse economic effect for a time.
We have created patented technologies where necessary. And we have an established process of new initiatives that are taken regularly to clients. Clients may not take up 80% of our ideas, but the remaining 20% they do really matter and keep our relationship fresh. So, we’re always interested in new ideas, always pushing.
Evolution
From the start, Proctors has been immersed in developing ideas, concepts and solutions for a wide range of clients. It makes our lives exciting, interesting and fulfilling. But we’re also constantly taking existing techniques and solutions and finding ways to improve them, so delivering hard-working and refreshed ideas.
Additionally, what we learn over here, can be applied over there, for other clients and other sectors.
By being results and data-driven, we include proven new learnings which are cross-fertilised between clients, sectors and markets. Our DNA doesn’t allow us to stand still. We always have to be interested in our clients’ journeys, where they will go and how they can evolve.
Reliability
This isn’t just about consistent delivery, being on time and budget. It is also about always having an idea and a solution, perhaps even ‘never saying no’ to an opportunity. Our clients always know that they can rely on us to find a solution.
Both exciting and risky, our business has grown by not necessarily knowing what the solution is at the outset, but by discovering or inventing one.
This has led us into amazing new sectors, industries, technologies and techniques. And this attitude has widened our spread of opportunity. Often, we have been advised that we need to specialise in one type of offer or sector.
We have always ignored that simply because, when disaster happens on one sector or territory, there is usually an emerging opportunity in another that we can access, so mitigating our risk.
Solutions, not problems
Clients are often time-poor and working to demanding deadlines. The pressure can be relentless.
By bringing them new ideas and initiatives, we can help reduce their workload and so pressure, and give them the space to think, expand and improve on what they deliver and commission us to do. Also, projects can face their challenges, things do go wrong.
The key is to always have a solution to mitigate the problem and so take it away, with little compromise. Some of our best relationships have been built out of some kind of adversity that we shared with the client but have developed a route out of. A true, honest and open partnership.
If you would like to talk to us about your business’s journey, get in touch with us today.
