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By David Nour, and David Ryback, PhD; Co-Authors – ConnectAbility

This article is a series of excerpts from the newly released book: ConnectAbility (McGraw-Hill, 2010)

Key 1 – Share Your Power with Others.

There’s a human trait, which fears the yielding of power.  The delusion is that if an individual were to yield whatever power he or she now has, that person will lose it and all the benefits that accompany it.  The truth is, if the individual is secure enough in his or her power to share it with others who contribute meaningfully, that power is enhanced geometrically (many times over), through the respect others gain by witnessing such inner confidence.

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As a follow up to my last blog post on be good at what you do and be visible,

…and back up your visibility with consistent performance! Remember, performance trumps all. Expert first – speaker second!

Received this email from a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software company which we were “less than satisfied” client of last year!  You’d think they’d know that!  This is exactly why most people believe CRM doesn’t work!  How effectively are you leveraging technology to help manage your most valuable relationships?

Begin forwarded message:

Date: December 16, 2009 1:40:02 PM EST
To: David Nour
Subject: NetSuite For Your Services Business

Hello David,

I am a Senior Account Executive with NetSuite, the industry leading single database CRM/ERP/Ecommerce solution designed specifically for small and mid-sized businesses as well as divisions of large companies and multi-nationals.

Services firms have long had to manage their business and client relationships through fragmented project management, accounting, document management and sales software.  That’s inefficient for the firm and bruises the relationship with clients.
Billable Services Organizations seek to alleviate several increasingly pressing issues:

·         The ability to shrink the time between work performed and payment.
·         Need for real-time reporting to support strategic decision making and quick reactions to fast-changing market dynamics.
·         The need to capture and reuse business intelligence (reports, historical data, previous work) to bid new business, manage profits, and reduce costs.
·         Ongoing training in changing technologies and markets.
·         Increasingly complex project workflows and lifecycles.
·         Easier and accurate billing of time back to the appropriate clients’.
·         Revenue recognition management.
In addition to addressing those issues, NetSuite can help Billable Services Organizations rapidly improve their ROI, quickly deploy new tools, increase the utilization of their consultants, and improve access to detailed metrics for the in-depth analysis of their businesses.

When would be a good time to follow up with a brief call to discuss your business?

For many this is the season to send holiday cards (a gift in themselves) or gifts to the most valuable professional relationships in our lives.  They may be colleagues, alliance partners, referral sources, prospective clients, active or past clients.

What they have in common is a prioritized sense of value, so how did you pick those on your list?  Did you send “cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all” holiday cards, or did you customize the message to authentically say “thank you!”  Did you personalize it with a face and a voice to the company, or stamp a name inside each with a hint as to the strategic and mutually beneficial nature of the relationship?

For 2010, my biggest wish for you is to understand and act upon the real value of your relationships.  They are your most valuable asset!

We’re taking a couple of weeks off for the holidays, but will be back with a number of great webinars the first week in January, so hope you’ll join us.  Learn more on our QAlias Bulletin.

I hope he’s not the only one in the world who thinks this way… 

From: Stan Berenbaum
Date: October 25, 2009 5:36:04 PM EDT
To: David Nour
Subject: Relationship Economics

David –just finished your book – will prove to be very helpful to those who read, practice and implement your thoughts.

Best,
Stan  

Stan Berenbaum
President and CEO
American Leak Detection, Inc.

American Leak Detection’s mission is to find leaks in a manner that is non-invasive, efficient and environmentally sound.  We will give prompt, professional and courteous service to all customers, while providing the best leak detection services in the world.

Although I’m finding myself tweeting more (@davidnour) often and blogging less, I remain amazed by how many organizations and senior leaders in particular have yet to see the value of a corporate blog as the central hub for their ideas, perspectives, and candid responses to market dynamics.  In short, a fundamental platform for their voice!

As such, here are some best practices from our work with a multitude of corporate clients and senior leadership teams:

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