Lots of people like to walk. In fact if I had to guess most Americans enjoy walking and have incorporated it in their everyday routine. An example is, my Dad walks over two miles every day.
A few weeks ago I was co-presenting our strategy with RW to Omnicom and we were asked an interesting question (thanks TH). We were asked are we walking the halls? Some of you might quickly make the leap and think "does he mean walking the halls" because the economy is bad?…Sort of walking the halls to think…As I thought about the question a little longer, TH was really asking if we were walking the halls of our clients’ offices. After thinking about it for a few more seconds I think we do an ok job, but need to make improvement in that area for sure.
Many of us need to be more visible with our clients and to walk the hallways. When you walk the hallways a number of things can happen:
- Since things are changing very quickly at companies these days, it gives you the opportunity to know what the current hot buttons are within the company
- It gives you the opportunity to react immediately to any requests a client may have
- It gives you a chance to meet any new contacts at the company
- It shows that you care about the business and want to help
- Doing this will probably separate your company from the competition
I believe our clients needs us more than ever. Companies have burning questions and I believe our company and other research companies provide critical answers to running their business. The answers that we provide set the course for a company’s strategy. Without research in the mix, aren’t they taking a chance on making the right decision on what course they should take?
So I ask you
- ARE YOU WALKING THE HALLS?
- Have you tried this strategy?
- Is it working?
- Have you cut your new business development travel budget?
I look forward to hearing from you.
Steve Gentile says:
Merrill -
From my perspective, there is no better way to catch a pulse of a place – long or short term. Walking the halls is something that cannot be forgotten or dismissed, in “good” times and “bad” times. You become visible to everyone, vulnerable to everyone, you see and hear things directly or overheard. You know your way around the “castle” and take ownership of every square foot of the place. You see interaction (or the lack) between people, feel the way they work best (or work worst). You can ask for no better way to slip into the shoes of another than this. I also have a tendency to sit at someone’s desk when they ask for assistance on projects – putting them in what is traditionally the “teacher” position – it also gives me perspective, literally and figuratively, of how they sense things.
I had the pleasure of interviewing a great man years ago – Mohammed Ali – who said something to the affect of “being a giant and saying nothing, like a tree in the storm” was to him, the sign of a great man. This from a man who, in my childhood shouted “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee” Great advice from a now quietly powerful man!
Judy Leerer says:
Merrill,
Funny you should ask…
Today I attended a seminar about getting back to basics and then went to catch up on my email and read this question.
Even though I work in a different field as you know, real estate sales- our professions provide a service- and I think the “personal” attention is what will set you apart- and the extra effort will definitely be appreciated.
I think many businesses have let technology get in the way of personal, face to face interaction. Over the years, technology has let me run my business more remotely. For example, I used to have to sit down with buyers and sellers to fill out paperwork and get signatures. Now documents get scanned and faxed. And email has become my communication method of choice.
However, the basics of selling- and I think of building any business relationship is based on the old adage “Nose to nose and belly to belly”. You witness, live and in person, the interaction between parties, and glean over time valuable information to better assist your clients. And I have to believe this translates to any business. especially those that are service based.
Fortunately, my “travel” budget is just driving around town. But it will also be budgeting my time to include much more “face time” with my current, previous, and future clients. Since I am literally putting this
activity back into practice starting right now, I have no results yet, but hope my actions will provide my clients with a higher level of service and trust.