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All For One: 10 Strategies for Building Trusted Client Partnerships

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Those who have read the novel, Three Musketeers, already know that its author, Alexander Dumas pere, took advantage of every appropriate opportunity to have his principal characters (d'Artagnan and his friends Athos, Porthos, and Aramis) proclaim "One for all, all for one!" Andrew Sobel had that motto in mind when selecting a title for this book because it is in this same spirit of solidarity and comradeship that he introduces and then explains ten strategies "for building trusted client partners," for creating what Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba characterize as "customer evangelists." In an exceptionally informative Introduction, Sobel briefly acknowledges six important trends and pressures that should guide and inform relationship-building strategies, briefly reviews three epochs of client relationships, and then provides a "quick sampling" of several practices (e. g. enhancing dialogue with clients exemplified by Bain & Company and customizing the relationship experience exemplified by WPP) that he will examine when presenting ten strategies for building what he characterizes as "trusted client partner ships."

Sobel carefully organizes the material that follows within four Parts: First he presents case studies of two "extraordinarily successful trusted client partnerships" and defines the six levels of professional relationships before summarizes the aforementioned ten strategies; next, he rigorously examines the first five strategies that are primarily (not exclusively) the responsibility of an individual professional; then he rigorously examines the second five strategies that are institutional and require specific commitment and support of senior management; and finally, he poses and answers the 17 most commonly asked questions about how to build long-term client relationships. This is a clever idea because the Q&As enable him to review key points after completing his narrative; also, Part IV facilitates, indeed expedites frequent review by his readers later.

At this point in the review, it seems appropriate to share two questions I always ask when meeting with a prospective consulting client to discuss its client relationships: "How many `customer evangelists' does your company now have?" and then a separate but related question, "How many of your other customers are not `customer evangelists'...but COULD be?" Presumably Sobel agrees with me that in many (most?) companies, there is a tendency (albeit unintentional) to take customers for granted, to neglect them, with the inevitable results that (a) there is less frequent direct contact, (b) a diminished understanding of their needs (especially unmet needs) and concerns, and (c) increased vulnerability to competitor initiatives. None of this would happen if the relationships were "trusted client partnerships" that are steadfast but resilient and mutually beneficial. Hence the importance of executing strategies such as those Sobel recommends.

After identifying the components of trusted client partnerships, he devotes almost all of his attention to explaining how to establish and then sustain those relationships, with "sustain" obviously a key consideration and objective. What impressed me especially as I worked my way through this book is that Sobel combines the skills of a cultural anthropologist with those of a raconteur. He anchors his observations and insights in real-world situations, citing exemplary companies such as Environmental Resources Management (ERM), Bain & Company, Citigroup's Global Corporate Bank, IBM, Towers Perrin, Cognizant, WPP, and Eden McCallum. Better yet, he does so with a focus on the impact of each strategy on human interaction. Insofar as customer relationships are concerned, Sobel is a pragmatist with an insatiable curiosity to understand what works, what doesn't, and why.

Previously, I referred to the six levels of professional relationships. They form a progression that begins with Contact (initial encounter with prospective client), followed in order by Acquaintance (preliminary exchange of information), Expert (establishing credibility), Vendor or Steady Supplier (incremental increase of involvement), Trusted Advisor (differentiation from others in terms of judgment), and Trusted Partner. How to know when you have reached this highest level, Level 6? He provides his answer on Page 21 and explains on the next page how a client would probably view each of the six levels.

Readers will especially appreciate Sobel's provision of specific recommendations with regard to how to become a Trusted Partner. For example, with regard to the first five strategies: Becoming an Agenda Starter (Pages 49-51), Developing Relationship Capital (Pages 64-76), Engaging New Clients ("Listening Pitfalls" are listed on Pages 100-101 and suggestions for "Getting to Know Clients as People" are provided on Pages 104-105), Institutionalizing Client Relationships ("Pathways to Growth" are listed on Pages 114-115 followed by best practices for activating each on Pages 115-1129), and Adding Multiple Layers of Value ("Foundations of Value" are examined on Pages 134-136). Sobel also offers provides specific recommendations with regard to how to use effectively each of the other five strategies, presumably with the full commitment and sufficient support by senior management. The generous provision of advice continues in Part IV as Sobel presents 17 Q&As (Pages 267-294), sharing his thoughts about how to make regular investments in client relationships, four ways of staying in touch with clients, what needs to be emphasized during the relationship-building process, and how to use "traffic building" activities that build a professional brand and create an inquiry stream from prospective clients.

Congratulations to Andrew Sobel on a brilliant achievement!

Sobel's new book, All for One, is a comprehensive guide to building large-scale client relationships--to moving beyond trusted advisor to trusted partner. I am a big fan of Sobel's previous books, especially Clients for Life, and All for One does not disappoint--in fact it sets the benchmark for how you develop the people and create the organization required to develop and grow what he calls "level 6" trusted partnerships.

The premise of the book is that the organization that surrounds the rainmaker is as or more important than the rainmaker himself, and that to build trusted client partnerships you must develop a highly collaborative culture that takes a long-term view of client development. Sobel notes that many large companies are reducing the number of consulting firms, law firms, banks, etc. that they are willing to deal with, and they are demanding more value from these service providers. Advisory firms, on the other hand, have developed such complex organizations that they are having trouble creating a whole that is greater than the sum-of-the-parts. By getting the right people and ideas to flow easily into each of your client relationships, and institutionalizing them, you create value for both sides.

Sobel sets out ten main strategies in the book. They include becoming an agenda setter, building individual relationship capital, engaging effectively with c-level executives, going from individual to institutional relationships, adding multiple layers of value, building a client leadership pipeline to develop and support relationship managers, building a culture of collaboration, and creating a truly unique client experience. Each chapter is very logically presented, practical, and contains a great deal of fresh material--with few exceptions this is a highly original, rather than derivative, book. The last chapter is excellent, and it lays out a series of commonly asked questions, with answers, about building client relationships (ranging from "How do I make more time for long-term relationship building?" to "How can I build relationships with procurement managers?"). What really brought the book to life and made it so useful for me are the real-life examples, quotes, and short case studies.

Sobel has done his homework, and he cites best practices from a wide variety of companies including well-known ones like Booz Allen, Bain, Ernst & Young, IBM, Lloyds Banking Group, as well as smaller and highly innovative firms that readers may not be familiar with such as ZS Associates, Parthenon Group, and ERM. If you work with clients, this book really should be on your bookshelf.

This is an incredibly practical and straightforward business book. it is the first of Sobel's works that i have read but I am well impressed.

One of the most important themes that the book develops and reinforces is the deepening of business relationships with a select group of clients - as opposed to the shotgun approach of many business authors on the emergence of social media based initiatives. This sniper like approach not only makes sense, but should be at the core of thinking for all professionals. Quality over quantity.

Many other pearls in this book. Well done to the author.

"Andrew Sobel is a consultant of consultants. His insights have been simmered on a base of tens of thousands of consultant hours both as an executive at a large corporation and as trusted advisor to dozens of CEOs and hundreds of senior executives. He is insighful, able to paint the big picture, but always brings it down to well-written, practical advice of what to do with the insights." - Andrés T. Tapia, author of "The Inclusion Paradox: The Obama Era and the Transformation of Global Diversity."

Andrew Sobel's book comes at a perfect time, especially for professional service firms. When economic recessions inevitably strike, firms in the knowledge industry (including accounting, architecture, engineering, law, and a host of consulting specialties) find themselves re-examining the role of their marketing and business development infrastructures. Our recent economic downturn is also coupled with dramatic shifts in the way clients are influenced by social media.

I applaud Sobel for addressing many of the issues that will help these firms better integrate their marketing and business development functions into the practitioner side of their firms. The result of his practical advice on how to build enduring client relationships? Greater market share for the professional firms, and a more robust value proposition for the clients.

So many books on networking and client relationships have flooded the market in the last five years that I am a real skeptic that there's much new to say. We don't need to be told that relationships are important and that we have to build trust with clients.

All for One is different, and in it Sobel takes a new slant. It has so many good ideas that it's hard to summarize everything in one sentence, but if I had to it would be this: Service firms must get better at building long-term, institutional partnerships with their clients; and to do this they need to develop an interconnected set of individual and organizational capabilities. The book lays out what these capabilities are in about ten core chapters, and I learned something important in every one of them.

Sobel's writing is clear and well organized, and his examples are excellent. The chapter on value is especially interesting, and it includes a variety of examples of professional firms that have developed innovative ways of generating new ideas for clients. His chapter on collaboration in services firms is also fascinating. It starts by looking at the evolution of human collaboration, and then sets out a clear and convincing framework of three drivers of collaboration. His examples are wide-ranging and intriguing, ranging from the Beatles (the whole was greater than the sum-of-the-parts) to the US Military Joint Forces Command (getting different service branches to work together seamlessly). I give it five stars without hesitation. If you want to go from selling small projects to building multi-million dollar client relationships, this book shows you how.

The ultimate goal is to be a trusted adviser to your client where you are helping to shape your client's agenda and meeting many of their needs. If you succeed, you will probably have a highly profitable client for life. There is always great personal satisfaction in the relationship of a trusted counselor. The first five of these strategies is the responsibility of the individual professional. The other five strategies must be driven and supported by firms and institutions. These ten strategies become the recipe for building and developing long-term, professional client partnerships that provide added value to the client as well as a high level of personal satisfaction and profitability for the service provider.
The ten essential strategies to implement in order to consistently develop and sustain these valuable relationships begin with investing to develop a deep understanding of your client's business and proactively engaging them in value added conversations about their most essential priorities and goals. Adding new people to your contact list and staying in touch with lots of people is another suggested strategy. Building relationship capital means focusing on the critical few that can truly make a difference and nurturing these. Executive engagement is about engaging a senior decision maker in a dialogue about critical issues and then building trust in your capacity to address them. Another strategy is that you must deliver what you promised but in trusted client partnerships the adviser does more. You must add value. These are the responsible of the individual professional.
The next five strategies must be mainly driven by the firm. Trusted partnerships begin with a senior client who is highly ambitious. You become a partner in helping them to achieve their goals. The you must have a pipeline to develop and support. Another strategy would be a collaborative "all for one and one for all" culture which is the foundation on which you build trusted client partnerships. Many firms say they offer a unique client experience or a differentiated experience. But clients don't often perceive it as such. In the future, the ability to add more value during client interactions while increasing ease of use will be essential.
Client executives claim a variety of benefits to these long-term institutional relationships. The trust of having this trusted client partnership increase speed and efficiency in completing projects. By maintaining a smaller number of business partners, clients can more easily manage relationships. The ultimate goal is maintaining these long-term relationships that will endure for years which will in turn contribute to revenues, profits and capital.
The author did a great job of conveying the processes for improved client relationship. However, he was not quite as clear as to how to put those principles to work in a somewhat smaller entrepreneurial environment.

If your goal is to build great client relationships as a trusted partner (giving you long lasting, challenging, profitable good work) then Sobel has written the book for you. The author was a senior VP with Cap Gemini and wrote previously Making Rain, and Clients for Life both of which are also excellent sources for the service professional. There is too much in the book to summarize in this review - but he has lotsof great information at [...]. He is a good clear writer and this is a book to read a few times - once to glean and then again to savour. He could be a good example for top producer salespeople anywhere.

Andrew Sobel has hit the mark once again.

Every professional service provider understands the importance of strong client relationships, but Sobel offers ten innovative strategies to take those relationships to the next level. At the core of Sobel's advice is the imperative to create an "All for One" culture that allows a firm to select, nurture, and sustain large-scale client partnerships.

What's compelling about this book is that Sobel goes beyond what the individual professional must do to build long-term, profitable client partnerships. He also offers specific advice to firm leaders on creating the environment that aligns the organization around the goal of creating those client partnerships.

By offering guidance to individual professionals and firm executives, Sobel lays out a comprehensive framework for firm success. This is a must-read for every professional service provider.

A superb guidebook on the art and science of rainmaking and deepening client relationships. All of Sobel's books are pure gold -- engaging, reflective, intelligent, modest and highly practical!!!