Turning Client Success Into a Competitive Advantage

In today’s competitive landscape, retaining clients isn’t just a goal—it’s survival. As competitors ramp up their efforts to lure away your hard-earned clients, how do you protect the relationships you’ve worked so hard to build? In this episode of C-Suite Sidekick, I revisit one of my most impactful topics: protecting your clients from poaching.

Drawing on real-world insights and actionable strategies, we’ll explore how to:

• Strengthen client relationships through proactive engagement.
• Align internal teams to prevent cracks in client experience.
• Use business reviews and referrals to deepen loyalty and drive growth.
• Leverage client success stories as powerful marketing assets.

Stick around for my fresh perspectives on how alignment and client success will be your best tools for navigating 2025 and beyond.

Companion content:

• 6 Things Future-Focused Business Owners Will Master in 2025 
• Why Strategic Partnerships Fail and How to Fix Them

Show notes:

• Connect with Summer on LinkedIn
• Visit Rise of Us for more information about Summer's services
• Episode recorded and edited using Descript
• Repurposed content, such as this description created using CastMagic

Transcript

0:00

Hello. And welcome to another episode of C-suite sidekick. I'm your host summer polity. And today we're revisiting another hidden gem with fresh perspective. As we look toward 2025. In today's competitive landscape retaining clients. Isn't just a goal. It's survival. Yet many businesses are so focused on landing. The next deal that sometimes they neglect the very relationships they worked so hard to build. This podcast episode was born out of a real client project where the stakes were high. They're competitors. We're circling, ready to pounce on any crack in the client relationship. And here's the thing client poaching often happens, not because your product or service isn't up to par, but because the client experience breaks down. Misalignment between your teams can create those cracks, confusion, unmet expectations, lack of proactive engagement. As I look toward 2025. I continue. To think that the companies that focus not only on adding new clients, but also growing and retaining and partnering with the clients, they already have. Those are the companies that are going to win. So we're going to revisit. How to protect your clients from poaching. With a lens toward 2025. And stick around, of course, for my fresh perspective. If you're in financial services or SAS, you already know how competitive these industries are, especially as we approach the end of the year. Right now, I guarantee your clients are getting calls from your competitors. Promising lower prices. Better service. Or new and innovative features. But here's the thing. Clients don't usually leave just because of price. They leave because of some level of real or perceived dissatisfaction. Maybe your system or service works perfectly 99% of the time. But they're going to remember that one time, but it didn't deliver exactly what they needed when they needed it. And you may have only had one issue and you resolved it quickly, but studies show that clients hold on to lingering bad feelings, much longer than providers think. Or maybe. There have been zero issues. But they feel like you've forgotten about them or taken them for granted. There could be a bit of what have they done for me lately. If you're like any company I've ever worked with, you're great at marketing new features to prospective clients, but you don't do much if any marketing to current clients. You don't want to feel overly salesy because they already buy from you. Have you ever had anyone leave for a price that you would have been willing to give? Have you ever had a client you thought was satisfied, leave for your competitor? Have you ever had a client leave because they were seeking a feature that you actually have. It costs five to seven times more to acquire new clients than it does to retain current clients. These are little mistakes that you can't afford to make. So, how do you protect your valuable clients from those pesky competitors? Today, we're going to talk about becoming partners with your clients. None of us likes to be considered a vendor. Right. But I see very few companies who do the work to be considered partners by their clients. And that's the key. You can say business partner, all you want. It's how they perceive you that matters. So let's get started. We already said it. Your clients are getting calls from your competitors right now. Especially as we head into the final quarter. It's the perfect time for competitors to try to steal your clients by offering discounts or new features. With 56% of B2B companies missing revenue goals last year, it's also likely that there are a lot of hungry reps behind on quota right now, looking for that low hanging fruit. The deal they lost last year, otherwise known as your client, most of your clients won't jump ship just because of cost alone. They'll leave because of those things we talked about before they feel neglected, they feel like just another account. Competitors know this, and they're going to try to swoop in at just the right time. So, how do you protect yourself? It starts with treating your clients like partners, actively working on the relationship. You all are business married now. So you have to put in the work. And not just wait for problems to surface. What does it mean to treat your clients like your best partners? Think about your best business partners, the ones that you trust, you likely have regular check-ins you share goals and you actively collaborate for mutual success. Here's a simple, yet effective strategy for running this play within your client base. Regular business reviews. The cadence will depend on how large the client is. But that regular cadence is what makes it important. No last often than annually. I helped a client in the financial services industry implement these. And within the first year they cut client attrition in half. After three years, they increased customer lifetime value by eight times. These reviews, aren't just a formality. They're a chance to deepen your relationship with the client. Realign on goals, offer new solutions. They didn't even know they needed by showing you care about their success beyond your contract and your invoice. You build loyalty that no competitor can break. So your competitor is going to call. What you're trying to do is make sure your client doesn't answer or call back. Let's talk about aligning your goals with your client's future success. As we look toward 2025, many of your clients will be preparing for new challenges, whether it's growth, navigating new regulations, improving operational efficiency, SAS companies will be looking for ways to innovate and financial services. Clients will likely focus on cutting costs or adapting to market shifts. Align their initiatives with others in your network to see who you can refer to them to help. Remember when I talked about not knowing when or where or how someone will fit into your network, it's all leading to this. You being the go-to person with all the connections, for things that seem kind of random. What if you helped a client bring on a new controller and also avoid the recruiting fees, because you happened to know someone who was looking. Or what, if you helped them find the perfect new office space, because you're connected with a local commercial realtor. These business reviews. Are also the perfect time to listen carefully to their concerns and offer tailored solutions that fit their evolving needs without coming off salesy. For example, one of my clients used AI driven insights to help their midsize customers, scale operations and increase the effectiveness of their platform. The result. a, 25% revenue just from focusing on existing customers and helping them get more value from the product and the bonus. But clients were also happy or too. Business reviews are also the perfect opportunity to ask for referrals. Clients who see you as a trusted partner, not just a vendor are far more likely to recommend you to others. Studies show that 91% of happy clients would give a referral if asked, but only 11% of salespeople ask. And that is a gap that you can use to your advantage. And industries like financial services and SAS. Referrals close two to five times faster because they come with an inherent level of trust. One of my clients saw massive success after adopting a proactive approach to client success by regularly engaging with their clients and showing that they were invested in their longterm goals. They cut the diving saves to almost none. You know those last minute efforts to retain clients who gave notice that rarely pan out who wants to do those. After a few years, they virtually eliminated avoidable client churn and referrals became a core part of their growth strategy. If you want to close deals before the end of the year. Don't hesitate to ask your existing clients. Who do you know who could benefit from what we're doing together? Who do you know, who would like to see some of the results you've achieved? Referrals can help you hit those year-end targets without relying solely on new leads or outbound sales efforts. Now let's talk about social proof. One of the most powerful tools in your marketing arsenal. Once you've done the hard work of aligning your goals with your client's success. Use that relationship to generate testimonials case studies, even co-branded content. Sasson financial service buyers make decisions based on trust and credibility. And studies show that they do the vast majority of their research before talking to you. And that they continue to conduct independent research. While they're engaged in your sales process. A success story from a happy client can do far more for your marketing and sales than any cold outreach campaign ever could. For example, ask your clients if they'd be willing to leave a review. Give a quote for your website, share their experience in a case study. Side note, it's a good best practice to incorporate gifting strategies into your customer success programs. Depending on the level of effort your clients will definitely appreciate a thank you here. Or consider co-branded marketing, but showcases their growth or success with your solution subtly in the background. If you tell a story about how awesome they are, they'll likely feel that you gave them a gift. In today's competitive landscape. Social proof is invaluable when trying to attract new clients while closing out existing deals before the year ends. To sum up your existing clients are your most valuable assets, especially as your competitors ramp up their effort to poach them right before the year ends. Protect those relationships by treating them like your best, most trusted business partners. Aligning on goals, deepening your relationship through business reviews and leveraging their success stories as social proof. And don't forget to ask for referrals. They could be the key to closing more deals in fourth quarter without dramatically increasing your sales efforts. Let's make sure you're not only protecting the clients you have, but also using those relationships to grow your business and gain momentum. As we head into 2025. Before I get to my fresh perspectives. In the top line by pavilion podcast recently. They had a guest who was a customer success expert. And he confirmed what I had been yelling into the void for years. And that is that customer success. He is no longer. A nice to have. B2B buying is becoming more challenging for sellers. And marketers. In a crowded landscape where a lot of tools seem relatively the same and stakes are very high for business leaders who. Make a wrong. Choice. A lot of times status quo wins. And what that can mean for you. If you are the seated vendor for the client is if you provide them with everything they need. And they're happy. They're not going be tempted to talk to some sales person from a different organization. Predating a moat of fire as Anthony and arena puts it around your current clients. Is going to be the way. That you protect the revenue you have going into the future. And if you know my perspective on partnerships, you also know that those happy clients who know that you're vested in their business success. They will refer business, which will help you bring in new business. And since my focus on 2025 is alignment across the board. Where does alignment fit into protecting the clients that you have? Marketing and sales. Need to be on the same page because they can not promise things that your service team can't deliver. Your service team and your customer success team. Need to be aligned with your sales team, because we can't be tagging people in when the client is too far gone and they're already. One foot out the door, you know, they're already talking to that competitive salesperson. And all along the way. You got to have your strategies, your products, your service, whatever it is that you provide. Needs to be aligned with the core challenges that your clients have that you and you alone can solve for them. And that is why. Alignment matters. When we look at. Customer success and client retention. In a future focused company in 2025. If this was inspiring to you. I would appreciate a share with your audience. So that I can help grow mine. I would also appreciate. Uh, review. If you want to discuss what alignment looks like. In 2025. Feel free to reach out. I am summer Polenti rhymes of spaghetti on LinkedIn. And you can find me on the rise of oss.com. Thank you for listening. And I will see you next week.