July 2010
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Ah-Ha! Moment – In July, I decided to complete a lingering "To Do" – to meet the new executives at one of my clients. The challenge? My staff seemed to have a less visible role than we had enjoyed prior to a change in ownership, executives, and top managers. Normally, my staff help "open doors" by introducing themselves and exchanging business cards. Not so this time.
So, I worked with several staff members to determine what "message" would speak to each of several new executives and senior managers, and then crafted emails to introduce myself "electronically" and to open the door for a brief in-person introduction later in the week.
The outcome? I eventually heard from everyone to whom I sent an email. In fact, several of these persons also took the opportunity to graciously say how much my firm has helped them personally improve their areas of responsibility! The most gratifying outcome was from the CFO, who invited me to drop in a few days later. A staff member and I did just that, and our 5 minute "meet and greet" turned into a 30 minute discussion of the top issue facing the CFO. Needless to say, this was a hugely beneficial meeting for all of us.
The lesson this month? Actually, there are two:
- Sometimes, when things have gotten stuck, I have to work harder to figure out ways to "make something happen" and get things unstuck. By working both smart and hard in targeting the persons and crafting an authentic message, I was able to share something worthwhile with my client and reinforce my firm's value to them.
- Leaving this on my "To Do" list for yet another month would have only let things get further stuck. And choosing to put this on the "Todd's Results" list for July forced me to become creative, which got me unstuck myself. After all, I will do almost anything to ensure there are only green checkmarks in the "Goals Met?" column.
Lessons learned!
