Let’s celebrate!
Today is my daughter’s 5th birthday. Whilst recovering from her party (think 20+ kids, a Disney princess and Frozen on repeat) over the weekend, I started to think about the relationship development and sales opportunities that present themselves as a result of celebratory events in business life.
As a species, we are not great at standing back and recognising our (or importantly, other people’s) achievements. The pace of life means that we allow significant work events and milestones to pass us by quickly so we can move onto the next “thing”.
This week’s Three Things are all about maximising celebrations. Enjoy (and Happy Birthday Stevie!)
#1. Job moves/promotions
Tracking your contacts as they move through their employment lifecycle can reap rich rewards. In many industries (e.g. financial services) there is significant churn, a situation which continues to increase as employee loyalty decreases.
LinkedIn is a powerful ally in helping to alert you when a contact changes roles and/or companies. Filters can be applied to identify which of your contacts have recently moved.
In addition to the obligatory “all the best”, “great move” or “they’re so lucky to have you”, make a point of emailing your separately to congratulate them. Suggest a catch up once they’ve been in role for a month to see how they’re getting on and how you can support going forward. For example, you may be able to introduce them to colleagues you already know at their organisation, or be part of industry groups you are already part of.
For contacts who have been promoted, there might be the opportunity to connect them with peers at different firms, and/or suggest a mentor/coach.
#2. Deal closing/project completions
It’s likely we’ve all been on big projects that have involved intense periods and late nights to get them over the line. There may have been a congratulatory email, a couple of drinks in the pub or even a closing dinner but, very soon, it’s onto the next project. This is a huge, missed opportunity for a couple of main reasons:
- Feedback: before your key stakeholders forget about the work you put in and the product/service you delivered, make sure you sit down with them to get feedback on your team’s performance. Whether it’s verbal feedback over a coffee, a more formal lessons learned session with the team (very useful) or a written/video testimonial for the website, all feedback is useful in helping you to improve the service you deliver.
- Billing: some large projects are structured where payment is required on completion. The best time to get these bills paid are between 1-3 days of the project completing. Why? Because the pain the project team all felt, the effort your team put in and the fact you successfully contributed to the project completion will still all be fresh in the mind for the payee!
#3. Internal celebrations
In any month within your organisation there will be a variety of events to celebrate. Think birthdays, new borns, weddings, new puppy etc. In a hybrid world, the ability to bring people together and celebrate these events has become more difficult. If you’re a manager, use these situations as a reason to bring the team together for a social and some team building. For those without team management responsibilities make the extra effort to get into the office on these days and build your relationships with colleagues. You never know when you might need them!
