An old adage has it that we all have the clients we deserve.
Some clients are more challenging than others – and we don’t always mean challenging in the good way.
We love our clients – and hope they love us too. Here are five of things we love to see:
- Organised. So easy to take for granted, we have a list of past prospects who self-selected themselves out of being clients. Whether it was missing meetings, confusion re ownership internally, requirements that kept changing or simply someone who didn’t know what they wanted: there’s a reason we stopped seeking their business.
- Respectful. We all have core competencies and knowing what these are is key. Our ideal clients know their own business better than we ever will, and in turn see that we know our data and product better than they do. Mutual respect is the foundation of all strong relationships. If we’re to be treated as ‘outsourced help’ to do things you think you could do better yourselves anyway then this may not be a good fit.
- Ambitious. Ambition is fundamental for success, now more than ever. Firms who take a backseat and rely on their size to follow where others lead, or those who are ambitious in theory but unable to execute on it (see “Organised” above) will struggle over the long-run. Clients who want and need an edge, clients who realise the need to stay ahead – you are demanding, inspiring and motivating – we like this.
- Curious and willing to learn. Our estimates improve over time as our product is continuously refined. As we push the bounds it’s you, our clients, who ultimately fuel our success. Whether it’s casual questions or interested requests – these are what give us the insights and blank space we need to see the next horizon. Keep them coming...
- Understanding. A corollary to ‘Respectful’ above, we have no crystal ball and make no claims that we do. Neither our peers nor we will be correct or up-to-date all of the time, but we commit to providing dividend data as accurate and timely as we can, as often as we can. And – in the meantime – ‘we thank you for your understanding!’
We don’t think the above is too much to ask, but you know who you are – what do you think?
Watch this space for our upcoming follow-on article: The Ideal Data Vendor
