Deck: “And THAT is how it is done – piece of cake!”
Rudy: “What if the guy had had a lawyer ?”
Deck: “We came with nothing. If he had thrown us out of his room for whatever reason, what have we lost?”
Rudy: “A little dignity – maybe a little self-respect”
I ran into Jorge in the hallway one Friday afternoon as I was rushing to a meeting. Jorge was the Account Manager for one of our most important industrial clients…. the company had announced a very large merger earlier in the week. I was late for the meeting so in passing I quickly and enthusiastically asked,
“have we started the post merger work yet?”
I heard a weak and passive response –
“Ummm, not really….., I need to call them”
I stopped…..
“They didn’t respond to your earlier calls?”
“Actually I have not reached out to them yet”
“Oh…..You know these post merger projects are important”
“Yes, but I thought I would wait a week or so to reach out – I don’t want them to think we are ambulance chasers.”
I was stunned.
“What do you mean ambulance chasers?”
“We don’t want them to think we are just opportunists taking advantage of them.”
“What!? No, No - We are the %#@*&!$ ambulance !!
They need help and we can be a huge help to them.”
I postponed my meeting and sat down with Jorge to try to understand.
And what I found I have now seen in multiple times ……..in different flavors.
The stated concern of being labeled an “ambulance chaser” is real…..
…...sort of. Danny DeVito as “para-lawyer” brilliantly plays every professional‘s nightmare.
Rainmaker - Danny DeVito Matt Damon (3:38)
No one wants to be seen as a shameless and opportunistic scavenger taking advantage of someone’s misfortune to make a buck. It is the antithesis of that exalted role of Trusted Advisor.
Yet as I listened and explored more carefully, it struck me that underneath the hesitation – it was more than an elevated sense of professional standards - the real root cause was one or more sources of insecurity:
1. Lack of confidence in the value proposition
Deep down inside there is some concern or uncertainty about whether our firm had the skills to really be helpful to the client and add value in the situation.
2. Fear of ability to respond
Jorge was worried we might not be able to respond quickly enough or land a team with the right expertise. Jumping in and then not delivering would hurt the relationship.
3. Weak or insufficient relationships
The account team might not have the relationships with the executives responsible for the new issues – maybe the relationships did not exist or have not been maintained. Reaching out to executives that he did not personally know felt awkward and inappropriate to Jorge.
4. No personal expertise
Sometimes the Account lead or the team does not have personal expertise in the area of need and they are concerned they might embarrass themselves.
While understandable, none of these are sufficient reasons to not reach out to clients in an hour of need. If the client has a need where we can help, we have a professional, perhaps even a moral, obligation to at least reach out and explore if we can support them.
Imagine witnessing an accident and deciding not to stop because we don’t know them …. Or because we are not a doctor. Or even better imagine that they are a friend of a friend and we have a doctor with us?
My experience is that these situations are exactly the time to connect with clients – when they have a real and urgent need for insights, expertise or just extra hands to get things done.
I have also found that executives in these situations are anxious just to have someone to talk to. High stakes situations - merger, take over, major earnings miss, restructuring, bad press or an accident - are stressful for executives and a friendly ear is always welcome.
Any reasonable existing client - or potential client - will not be offended by a call that humbly offers help.
Telling the client that we realize they may have it all covered and might not need support but we just wanted to check in and see how they are doing is not ambulance chasing – that is caring for the client!
If someone has a persistent feeling of being an ambulance chaser then there is something fundamentally wrong – we don’t believe in our ability to really add value – in that case we are in the wrong profession or on the wrong team.
Yes, there will likely be a time when a client says no thanks….. but the greater risk is a client that needed help and we just didn’t ask because it felt uncomfortable to us….
If we put our clients’ interests first…. and we believe in our capabilities, we should never let an exaggerated sense of professional pride - or insecurity- get in the way of serving a client’s needs – especially in their time of need.
What do you think? Ever feel like an ambulance chaser ?
Just a few thoughts…..
Walt
Related posts
Yes 100% I've seen myself in this mirror. #3 is an interesting one and reminds me of HIPAA--healthcare insurance portability and accountability act. Relationships should be patient, long-term investments, and portable beyond our current employment walls. Enduring. Then you're less like an ambulance chaser, and more like the 24/7 emergency room door that's always open. Come on in.
It all begins with intent. If your intent is to 'sell something' you probably feel like you're chasing an ambulance. If your intent is to serve your client, you feel like you ARE the ambulance -- serving with every skill and tool you've got. Savvy clients FEEL the difference, too. I love the quote I learned early in my consulting career: How You Sell is a Sample of How You Serve. Taught that phrase to thousands of sellers!