Your Name Is On It

You sold your dream client your product, your service, or your solution. They bought you when they bought the outcomes you sold them. You are your company, as far as your clients are concerned.

You nurtured your dream client over time. You were the one who was sharing your insights with them, as well as those insights your company has developed over time. You were the one who established the fact that you had the ideas that could help your dream client change and produce better results.

You showed up at your dream client’s office to share your ideas and help them discover what new outcomes were available to them. You shared with them what was possible, and you helped them establish a new vision. You collaborated with the stakeholders, and you helped build consensus as to why change is necessary and how they should change.

You also made the pitch and fielded all the questions. You resolved your dream client’s concerns, and you provided the proof that they would generate the outcomes they needed. When you were done, you negotiated the deal.

All of this makes this deal yours. It was your target, it was your prospect, it was your opportunity, and it was under your name in your CRM. Naturally, you took credit for–and deserved–the win. If you are taking credit for the good things, you have to take responsibility when things go wrong.

There is a reason that your client calls you when things go wrong, instead of your operations team or your customer service function. The reason? It’s your deal. You sold it, so you own the outcomes.

If you want an absolute right to the next deal, then you have to ensure your client succeeds with what you have already sold them. This doesn’t mean that you are glorified support, and it doesn’t mean that you own the operational work that needs to be done. It does mean that you are the orchestra conductor, and that you exercise the leadership necessary to get things done inside your company, as well as inside your client’s company.