Page 112 - AVN July 2013

es
Slutty Times at Innocent High
INNOCENT HIGH/PULSE
PulseDistribution.com
Teen Tryouts 60
DEVIL’S FILM
DevilsFilm.com
Teenage Rampage 9
PORNO DAN/PURE PLAY
PurePlayMedia.com
Teenage Girl Squad 10
MY SEXY KITTENS/PURE PLAY
PurePlayMedia.com
Wild Youngins
RENEGADE/MONARCHY/
PURE PLAY
PurePlayMedia.com ||
(continued from page 62)
6. Are you treated with respect—like an important advisor?
This is hard to quantify, but you usually will know in your gut if this is the case. I
had a client who I felt didn’
t value me. He asked me to help teach his senior partners
how to be better trusted advisors to their clients. But ironically, he didn’t want a trust-
ed advisor himself—he wanted an arms-length “expert” who would be at his beck and
call. I finished the project and moved on.
7. Is working with this client a satisfying, rewarding experience for you and
your team?
Some clients just drain you. They are overly demanding, they check up on your
every move, and they basically drive you crazy. Sometimes, you’re also stuck with a
client who is too low in the organization to really appreciate the impact you have. This
is not a healthy relationship! Life is too short—if you can’t fix a situation like this
quickly, you should get out and double-down on more promising clients.
8. Is the relationship economically rewarding for you?
You could have a great personal relationship with a client, but for a variety of rea-
sons be losing money on the work. Sometimes, weak profitability is your fault—you
have underestimated the scope of the work or underpriced it. But sometimes it’s a sign
of a client who knows the cost of everything and the value of nothing.
9. Are you having an impact and helping to improve your client’s business?
In the best relationships, you have a clear and positive impact on the client’s organi-
zation. You help the client improve their business. If, for whatever reason, this is not
happening—it’s a warning sign. Are you working on peripheral issues that are not real-
ly important to the client? Are you stuck too far down in the organization? Is the
client ignoring your recommendations? Is your good advice simply falling on deaf
ears?
10. Is your client referring you to friends, colleagues, and other organiza-
tions that could use your expertise?
Active word-of-mouth referrals, arguably, are the ultimate sign of a good relation-
ship. Are you getting referrals? Would your client give them to you if asked? How
enthusiastically would your client recommend you? A testimonial is one thing—it’s
passive—but an active referral is a sign of a very different level of satisfaction and
delight with your services.
Just as you shouldn’t make assumptions about or neglect your own health, you
shouldn’
t do so when it comes to the health of your client relationships. Each year, go
through this checklist and rate each of your relationships. Are you weak, average, or
strong on each of these ten points? Better yet, rate yourself and then ask these same
questions to your client. Then, compare the answers. Through quality communication
and thoughtful Power Questions, you can strengthen your client relationships and add
value to them at the same time.
NEW RELEASES
My Sister’s Hot Friend 31
NAUGHTY AMERICA/PURE PLAY
PurePlayMedia.com
Naughty Bookworms 30
NAUGHTY AMERICA/PURE PLAY
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Rocco’s Psycho Teens 5
ROCCO SIFFREDI/EVIL ANGEL
EvilDistributors.com
Schoolgirl Stories
DREAMZONE/VANTAGE
VantageDist.com
Sex With the Legal Teen 10
SWANK/PURE PLAY
PurePlayMedia.com
For 30 years, Andrew Sobel has worked as both a consultant to senior
management and as an executive educator and coach. His articles and
work have been featured in a variety of publications such as the New York
Times, Business Week, and the Harvard Business Review. His first book
was Clients for Life. In addition to Power Questions, his other books
include Making Rain and All for One: 10 Strategies for Building Trusted
Client Partnerships. Power Questions: Build Relationships, Win New
Business, and Influence Others (Wiley, 2012) is available at bookstores
nationwide and all major online booksellers. He can be reached at
AndrewSobel.com.
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