Micro-moments matter in relationship building
Micro-moments matter in relationship building
In a fast-paced world you build reputation by doing the little things right
"Look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves"
"It's the little things that count"
"Many a mickle makes a muckle"
Lots of different ways of saying the same thing: Small actions consistently applied add up to big impact.
I've been pondering this recently in relation to building reputation, and building trust. Both critical things if you want to be a successful consultant.
The old school ways of becoming known as an expert consultant were time intensive.
Partners would write a detailed white paper and run a series of breakfast round-tables to promote it.
Or, you'd be told to walk the halls of your clients' offices. Stop by the water cooler. Get to know your clients as people, not just potential projects. Figure out ways to make their lives easier. All whilst being neck deep trying to keep your current project on track.
Others would go to networking events and hand out business cards to all and sundry. "Never Eat Alone", as Keith Ferrazzi famously titled his book about finding success through relationships.
These days, the world has changed and a lot of those interactions happen digitally, and much faster.
You write a post on LinkedIn and it's gone within a few days. Join a discussion on Twitter (or X!), and your words disappear within an hour. Share something in an online community and the conversation quickly runs on. Not to mention how much gets lost in our inboxes.
These interactions are, individually, a lot less time intensive but they are also more fleeting. More micro.
As such it can be easy to dismiss the value of them. I did that myself the other day, as I was rushing to respond to a Twitter thread that involved 3 of my favourite thinkers on consulting skills (@ConsultGently, @themgmtconsult, and @igriff, in case you're wondering).
I paused and asked myself: Why am I bothering with this?
In that moment I realised that these little interactions DO matter. But you need a lot of them.
Make it special if you want people to care
Strong relationships are not created in a single big bang moment. Attention spans are stretched thin these days. People are stressed. Often, they will struggle to give time and head space to the conversation you want to have.
But, most people will value a micro-moment that makes them feel special or helps them in some way. And if you can add up those micro-moments so they get that feeling time and again - you become a valued relationship for them.
There are hundreds of opportunities to create these micro-moments.
Earlier this year I helped the Partners at a boutique consulting firm create a 'Making It Special' Notion toolkit - capturing 55 techniques & tools that they used to make the 1% difference when it comes to delighting your clients.
They wanted their team to be putting these things into practice from the start of their careers, so they built experience faster and more systematically.
Those Partners recognised the value in all these small moments that add up to happy clients and long-term win-win relationships.
Mastering the micro-moments
Over the long-term you can only be successful as a consultant if two things are true:
You are trusted by your clients
You are known as an expert in your field
As such, it pays to invest in building that trust and that reputation. Which means it pays to invest in making these micro-moments special.
What does that mean practically?
Building habits. Identifying the small things you can consistently do that will add up over time.
Here's a few ideas to get you started:
Every Friday afternoon, reflect on something you've learnt that week and post about it on LinkedIn
Ask your clients for feedback after every major meeting
Contribute to relevant discussions on Twitter (using your real name)
Always send a meeting agenda in advance
Call your client from your last project and ask them how it's going
Creating habits is hard. It takes time. Pick 1 or 2 things to start with and commit to doing them consistently. Once they are part of your routine you can build on them.
Over time you'll find these habits result in more relationships, deeper relationships, and a growing reputation as an expert consultant.
Those micro-moments really do add up.
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