Building Bridges

EnVision at 27: Part 8 of 9

Posted on by Irene Stern Frielich

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE #2: How Can High Touch Build a Business?

In my last post, I shared the first of three segments on Looking to the Future, focusing on Embracing the Times. Today, I’d like to focus on the value of high touch, or maintaining close relationships with clients and colleagues, and what makes it work.

  1. FOCUS ON CONSULTING, NOT TRANSACTIONS: A lot of organizations and service providers make a business decision to focus on speed of service and high transaction volume, leaving little time for building trusted relationships. That might make sense in certain industries, and for certain products. In a service industry, such as EnVision’s, we have made a strategic decision to focus on each individual client. Instead of doing things that may or may not have a positive impact, we focus on doing a few things really well. That requires us to get to know our clients really well.
  2. HIGH TOUCH CAN INCREASE EFFICACY: By working closely with clients and building strong relationships, we are more productive. Clear communication helps us avoid unnecessary work and focus our time where it matters most. We partner with clients to determine when and how to initiate a project. Rather than heading down a path too early, we make sure the desired outcome is clearly defined first.
  3. IN IT FOR THE LONG RUN: Our clients appreciate the time we spend with them. This is great for a current project, but also for the long run. I’ve had clients come back to us after they’ve moved to two, three, or even four different companies. That matters when you are building a business or career designed to last decades. Of course, this requires diligence keeping in touch, which I wrote about in my first post in this series: Building and Maintaining Relationships. Some of my clients even know me well enough to help spread the word about my memoir and related presentations.

What are some areas of your work life in which high touch will be helpful? What will you do to further your relationships with clients and colleagues?