The "Asset-heavy" client expert

^{3-minute read}

One straightforward way to grow in your career is to become the CENTERPIECE of generating demand.

The keystone to closing new clients.

And this recipe has basically two elements:

ELEMENT #1: Deeply knowing your client's issues, hopes, fears, and dreams (I call this "customer intimacy")

ELEMENT #2: Always have the right solutions at the right time so you can solve your client's problems.

Combine the two, and you become what I call the "Asset-heavy" client expert.

Let me explain…

Or even better, let fellow reader Dominik, who send this tip my way explain:

Dominik frames this from a consultant perspective…

But honestly, this works in any client-facing role: Investment Banking, Enterprise Sales, etc.

It also works for internal clients – so if you work in any role that handles internal requests (HR, Data/Analytics, etc.), this might work for you as well.

So, let me explain what's so genius about this strategy…

Leveraging yesterday's work to do tomorrow's work better

The core of the strategy Dominik highlights here is this positive spiral:

• You do some client work and get to deeply understand their issues

• You collect assets that were critical for the work to be done

• You use those collected assets (and others that you also collect with peers) to get to do even more, better and more important client work

Eventually, you become a HUB within your company – the person who has all the assets that help you serve your clients better and faster.

What "assets", you might be thinking?

Well…

For a consultant, this could be individual slides, analyses, frameworks, methodologies, or even entire proposals and presentations.

For a banker, this could mean financial models, benchmark databases, and clever slides that persuade sellers and buyers to make the transaction.

For an enterprise salesperson, this could mean emails, pitches, slide decks, arguments to handle specific objections, and slides that compare your USP against competitors.

The key here is to become a collector.

Most people in client-facing roles have some degree of customer intimacy and insight (that grows as you grow in your career).

Yet, few people collect the best assets to be reused later in an organized way.

They work "dumb". They start from scratch every time and spend tons of time creating passable, but not amazing pitches, presentations, or solutions.

But not "Asset heavy" client experts.

These ones work smart. Just like people in advertising have "swipe files", they have years of experience distilled in a library of ASSETS.

Assets that they've collected from others, created themselves, and that they have always ready for their next job.

Creating and collecting assets helps you crystalize your experience into something that's ready to do the job. You're leveraging yesterday's work to do tomorrow's work so much better and faster that it almost feels like magic to your peers (and, of course, to your boss).

If you do this, you'll become central to your company.

People will come to you because they know you'll always have something tangible that can help them out fast.

They'll involve you in new projects, new clients, and new initiatives.

As important, they'll see you as someone who works smart.

-Bruno