Developing a What You Do Story is critical to serving and retaining internal and external clients. When you connect the story of what you “do,” inside the organization, to what everyone else “does,” something interesting happens.
First, you start to better serve one another. Because your own responsibility and accountability now extends beyond the confines of your functional and departmental role.
Then, you better understand the other person’s professional context within your organization. And, how the reach and impact of their own functional role extends beyond the confines of their department.
Also, you both gain greater insight into the stated, and unstated, needs of the clients which you both serve, together. I’d say you have a lot in common. Wouldn’t you?
A What You Do Story is a continuously evolving story.
Once a sale is consummated, and a contract comes in-house for execution, the client’s story keeps changing. Evolving within the relentless pace and cadence of changing Industry 4.0 business and manufacturing environments. For that matter, your own story is not frozen in time, either. (At least I hope not.)
As a result, the challenge to retaining clients between contracts becomes remaining connected to their stories. Updating them about your stories, as well. And, not assuming customer connection is “someone else’s” responsibility. Because, if you develop a What You Do Story, then you know exactly who that “someone else” is. And both of you, in remaining connected to one another, can better serve that client throughout their lifecycle.
Plus, (spoiler alert here) there are lots of “someone elses” residing within your organization. Are these professionals currently nameless and faceless to you? If so, and you remain isolated from one another, how can everyone best serve clients during the course of your relationship with them?
Is it time to develop a What You Do Story? Especially if you constantly react to increased client defection? Instead, become proactive and anticipatory of what matters most to your clients. Contact me here. Let’s co-create your story. Together.
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Babette Ten Haken’s One Millimeter Mindset® Storytelling for STEM Professionals and Left Brain Thinkers speaking programs leverage purpose-driven value differentiation through storytelling, to create and retain successful employees and clients.
Find out more about Babette’s professional story here. Babette is a member of SME, ASQ, SHRM and the National Speakers Association. Her playbook of communication hacks, Do YOU Mean Business? is available on Amazon.com. Babette’s speaker profile is on the espeakers platform. Contact Babette here.
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