It Starts With Clients

Week 13 Build Senior Executive Relationships

Have you ever invested time with a client to develop a proposal that was just perfect for their needs? But it turned out his boss had something very different in mind, and the proposal you sweated over died on arrival? Your client, eyes averted, may have apologetically murmured something like, “Turns out our senior vice president has decided to go in a different direction.”

This happened to me a handful of times early in my career. I remember one incident that really stung. I spent months wooing a prospective client. I shared all kinds of ideas with her, adding value in multiple ways. I wrote a blockbuster proposal. She kept telling me it was “essentially” her decision to make. We set a kickoff date for the project. Then both shoes dropped. Her boss's boss announced a change in strategy. The work, which I confidently assumed was sold, got shelved.

So I vowed to become the guy the senior vice president would call for help—not the person the middle manager gave the bad news to. Over the ensuing years I intentionally cultivated relationships with senior decision-makers. They became the growth engine of my business and a firewall that protected it during economic downturns.

You should aspire to build relationships with senior executives who are decision-makers for many reasons. C-suite executives and other top leaders can create a budget ...