Take-offs, landings and emergencies-in-flight
When a producer plays their proper role when taking care of the client, way fewer issues crop up and threaten the relationship.
When I was still working inside an agency, I received a call from one of my producers, asking me to go to lunch. Several scenarios went through my mind as I told him, “Of course, let’s go.” We settled at our table, and I could tell something was bothering him. I finally asked him,
“What’s going on, Jim?”
He said, “I need to talk to you about Cindy.” Cindy had been hired to be his account manager six months earlier. From the interview process to the present, I’d never heard anything other than rave reviews about her. I couldn’t imagine what she had done to upset Jim so much.
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He finally said: “My clients aren’t calling me anymore; they go straight to Cindy. I’m often not even aware of anything until it’s been resolved.”
I was confused. “Jim, that’s your problem? You’re upset that your clients trust Cindy enough to go to her for help?!”
Jim was the classic example of the producer who tells his clients, “I’m your guy. If anything goes wrong, at any time, call me, and I’ll take care of it.”
Good intentions vs exceptional results
Producers make promises to prospects and feel great responsibility to ensure those promises are kept. But this message is wrong for many reasons.
First, day-to-day service issues shouldn’t be the producer’s responsibility. The job of the producer is to produce business. Says so right in the title.
Second, the traits that make someone a good salesperson often get in the way of being a good service person. They just don’t have the attention to detail.
Finally, the producer is one member of a team filled with people who specialize in keeping things going smoothly and fixing stuff when it breaks. You don’t expect the person who sold you your car to repair it. Your clients don’t care who fixes their problem as long as it’s fixed and appreciate knowing an entire team is on their side.
Find the sweet spot
Some agencies take this to an extreme, and the producer completely leaves the picture once a deal is sold. I’m just not a fan of that approach, either. There’s a sweet spot between the “call me for everything” and “you’ll never see me again” approaches.
I’ve heard producers’ responsibilities described as take-offs (selling new business), landings (renewing business), and emergencies-in-flight (service issues that threaten the relationship). I love that description.
When a producer plays their proper role on a complete team taking care of the client, way fewer issues crop up and threaten the relationship.
Train the client
By bringing in the rest of their team like this, producers provide detailed explanations of key issues, build the confidence of the buyer, and set the table for a smooth hand-off when the prospect becomes a client. It’s easy for the client to go to the right person, because they already know one another.
Next time you get a call from a client, say, “We have someone who specializes in that and who is better equipped to handle this. I’ll pass the details on, and they will follow up. I’ll check back in to make sure everything went well.” After a time or two, guess who the client will start going to directly?
Now, go prepare for your next take-off.