How good are you at getting naked? Hold on. Its not what you’re thinking. I’m referring to a set of client engagement principles that Patrick Lencioni lays out in his book, “Getting Naked”.
In his book, Lencioni drives home his points in a business fable about shedding the three fears that sabotage client loyalty. For the sake of being “brief”, we’ll leave out the discussion of the fable and simply outline his principles, specifically what giving “naked service” means: It means being…
- Vulnerable
- Humble
- Selfless
- Honest
- Open
This is a great read for individuals who make their living in the service industry, particularly for CPAs, Business Consultants and Financial Advisors.
Patrick Lencioni says there are three fears that sabotage client loyalty:
- The fear of losing business
- The fear of being embarrassed
- The fear of feeling inferior
As a service provider, building trust with your clients is the ultimate goal. Trust breeds loyalty. Your clients value your advice when they see you for who you really are, and real connections are made when you are willing to be vulnerable.
Lencioni states, “Vulnerability is one of the most undervalued and misunderstood of all human qualities. Society encourages us to avoid vulnerability, to always protect strength, confidence, and poise.”
There is a time to demonstrate strength, confidence and poise, but when it comes to building trusting relationships, this method doesn’t work. Being vulnerable has nothing to do with being competent. You’ve been hired for your skill set, but when you’re willing to get naked your clients lean into you, thus garnering trust and dependence. Lencioni says showing vulnerability is the definition of “getting naked”, and if you can overcome the fear of being vulnerable you will…
- Build stronger relationships
- Receive more referrals, and
- Haggling over fees will go away
Here’s the 3 fears you need to get over:
1) The Fear of Losing Business – When you approach the relationship with the purpose of protecting your business relationship, you’re putting your interests first and the clients needs second. Lencioni says you should follow these guidelines instead….
- Always consult instead of sell – Use each client or potential client interaction to help your clients or prospects, not sell yourself.
- Give away the business – Consult rather than sell. Don’t worry about those who might take advantage of you. More will appreciate your willingness to help.
- Tell the kind truth – Tell it with heart and affection.
- Enter the danger – Don’t avoid the “elephant in the room.” Address it.
2) The Fear of Being Embarrassed – Don’t worry about looking silly. When you take your focus off how you look you can can truly be of the greatest help to you client. It’s ok to admit when you’re wrong, this builds trust. Here’s the way to handle this fear:
- Ask dumb questions – People forget the dumb questions and remember the ones that moved them forward.
- Make dumb suggestions – Throw the obvious ideas on the table, even if they seem obvious.
- Celebrate your mistakes – Clients know you’re not perfect, but they expect honesty.
3) The Fear of Feeling Inferior – You can’t truly serve your client and be the center of attention at the same time – chose serving. Be willing to put your ego in your back pocket. To counteract this fear, subscribe to these axioms:
- Take a bullet for the client – You can never place the blame on the client. Be ready to take responsibility for a problem you didn’t create just to take the load off your client. This will lead deeper trust and loyalty.
- Make everything about the client – If you’re client wins you win, and vice versa.
- Honor the client’s work – Don’t try to fake sincerity. If you can’t take a deep interest in your client’s business (having an appreciation for their accomplishments,), you shouldn’t do business with them.
- Do the dirty work – Roll your sleeves up and demonstrate your dedication by doing the tough work the client needs.
- Admit your weaknesses and limitations – Don’t try to sweep your shortcomings under the rug. Be the best you, you can be. Authenticity is the best practice, flaws and all.
My favorite quotes from the book:
- “Clients come to trust naked service providers because they know that they will not hold back their ideas, hide their mistakes or edit themselves in order to save face.”
- “Once a client trusts you and really understands that you care more about them than about yourself, they usually stop worrying about micromanaging the cost or seeing if they can take advantage of you.”
- “Naked service providers don’t enjoy being wrong; they just realize that it is an inevitability.”
- “Clients want to know that we’re more interested in helping them than we are in maintaining our revenue source.”
- “There is nothing more attractive and admirable than people who willingly and cheerfully set their egos aside and make the needs of others more important than their own.”
Go ahead, GET NAKED! It will transform your business!
To order the book: http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=getting+nakes&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=35055219684&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=619213
Bill Edmonds is an Executive Coach and Consultant who works with leaders to help them reach their full potential by specializing in areas of organizational and personal development. He spent 24 years in leadership with Merrill Lynch until his retirement in 2014, where he lead a $100+ million per year revenue business unit as a Director with the firm.
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