The biblical story of the Bethsaida man by the pool is a true illustration of persistence. He never lost tenacity for healing until he got it. The same is true with closing a deal with a prospective client. It’s sad that, in our markets, unethical issues have emerged ranging from rate undercutting to brown envelopes to win business. Despite such malpractices, should we as Client Managers stop acquiring new clients? No, is the answer as revealed by Abraham Lincoln’s life who after failing to be President the first time, second time, third time…., and so on kept the tenacity until he became the 16Th President of the oval office of the Great Nation. Persistence against all odds! So, what does persistence mean in our practice?
Client Manager
What is a client manager? A simple question though but with so many answers. Allow us to refrigerate and then defrost that question afterwards. Holding other views constant, in my own opinion, the virtue of persistence should be at the epicenter of a client manager. A practical analogy in our hay days, if you wanted a girl, persistence was key in the midst of being despised, humiliated, and all sorts until she says YES. The same spirit is needed by a client manager wanting to penetrate new market niches, grow an existing business portfolio, and do the unusual business acquisition in a pool of sharks and whales hunting for the same fish. Ferede (2010) echoed that persistence - complemented with agility - breeds success. The same view was supported by Christensen et al (2012) who defined persistence as,” a personal tenacity, determination and resolve to pursue a course of action despite difficulties, obstacles, and resistance”. In a nutshell, is this purported scholarly approach evidenced in practice? Yes, it sure is.
How best can a Client Manager Embrace and Apply this Principle?
- Ability x persistence = performance: This formula has been proven to be true over time. Hence, if a client manager is to apply persistence and ability in his or her routine work, good revenue performance would be the result.
- Self-confidence: Persistence is complemented by self-confidence as exuberated by one’s expertise. A client manager is a salesman in simpler terms, hence an expert in the art of selling. This expertise automatically gives birth to self-confidence.
Practical situations needing persistence as a client manager
- Pursuing prospective clients: Acquiring new business is not a mediocre task in today’s market due to a varied cocktail of unethical business practices perpetrated by rivals. Despite the obstacles, persistence is key!
- Debt collection: Debt collection is key to bottom-line growth. Bad debtors do not only spoil the books but become an administrative expense in the long term. Think of the fuel that you would need to visit the client. And how many times? Time is an opportunity cost. Hence chasing premiums requires persistence despite a declaration of commitment being in place.
- Follow up: following up with contacts on portfolios, accounts that are lost, and re-attacking during renewal periods. A lost account does not mean it is entirely gone. In many other fields, it is in the mortuary and not the grave. Analogically, a client manager should embrace persistence by keeping in touch with lost accounts through courtesy calls and visits. Such relational buttressing behavior has the potential to resuscitate back into life accounts which were considered lost.
- Client relationship management: Client relationship management is key. If you don’t know your customer, you are not worth the title of a Client Manager. Relationship building and nourishment require persistence both in the short term and long run. Successful renewals, growth of existing business, and other value propositions are all influenced - one way or the other - by persistence.
Management support
Persistence as a virtue needs to be deeply rooted in Client Managers and cannot be successful without senior managerial support. How?
- Supporting the efforts. Senior Client Mangers, Heads of Units, and Operational Managers must complement the efforts of their juniors. In the jungle, when the lion roars, all others reckon and humble themselves.
- Making resources available. Pursuing a prospective client and revisiting lost accounts not only calls for time, but also for fuel, luncheons, and other resources.
- Non-financial Motivation. Recognition from senior management of a Client Manager who portrayed the virtue of persistence, complemented by Minet’s HEART (Honesty, Expertise, Agility, Respect, and Teamwork) values is crucial.
A concluding remark on persistence
An organization operates within the realm of the company’s Vision, Mission, Objectives, and Values which can be loosely described as philosophy. The aforementioned cannot be realized if the virtue of persistence is not embraced and diffused across all the ranks and files of Minet. To quote….”it is the undying spirit of persistence in the late Nelson Mandela that did not only broke the yoke of apartheid but created a rainbow nation of today” Bishop TD Jakes!
Bernard Banda ǀ Client Manager - Lilongwe ǀ Minet Malawi
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