How do you handle multiple customer stakeholders?

The next time you get frustrated that your clients’ teams don’t talk to each other, become the facilitator that solves the problem and cement your reputation as an invaluable asset.

Have you ever had the feeling that you/your team is the only reason why two groups within your clients' company talk to each other?

I know I have, and many of my clients have as well. It makes for a challenging and frustrating situation, to say the least.

Being an outside 3rd party expert is really important and can be very powerful if you approach it in the right way.

You see, internal teams have a tendency to think about what’s most important to them. Each team has its priorities, goals, and objectives.

And you, as the 3rd party expert in your field, have a responsibility to think about the solution holistically.

So how do you bridge the gap?

You become the middle-person :)

Normally, we’re always trying to cut out the middle-person but not here, let me explain…

The role of the middle-person in this situation is to be the facilitator that brings the two parties together at a strategic level so that priorities, objectives, and resources can be aligned.

That sounds appealing, doesn’t it?

When you facilitate two or more parties coming together to agree on strategy and a plan to move forward, you are positioning yourself as an invaluable asset.

The two (or more) parties were not able to do this without you and may not be able to do this on their own until some point in the future.

The next time you get frustrated that your client’s teams don’t talk to each other, become the facilitator that solves the problem and cement your reputation as an invaluable asset.

Cheers,

Nils

PS. This is one of those things that rarely gets noticed by the client so don’t expect praise or any form of recognition even if you orchestrate an amazing meeting. Instead, know you are doing the right thing as the outside expert to move the client forward.

Inspired by: Customer Strategy Ep2: John Bosch

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