Back in the beginning days of my business, I had a mammoth (!!) client. OK, mammoth might be a stretch. But at that time in my business, it may as well have been a million-dollar account. They paid me probably 8 times more than any other client.
I was locked in with this client. They loved the training. They loved everything that we were doing. Their team was getting great results. My contact was the COO, and she was a raving fan. There was no way they were ever going to spend their training dollars with anyone else. I was set!
Until I wasn't.
A lot of salespeople find themselves in a similar situation. They have earned the business over the years. They are good. They have a customer for life! If they get enough of these, they don't have to prospect anymore. They have it made.
Until they don't.
My raving fan COO never wavered. But she left the company. Because I was "good", I didn't bother to get to know her boss. I didn't even try. I didn't bother to get to know her peers. Why should I? They are going to use me forever!
Your business probably has some clients and customers like this. You should not sleep at night if you only know one or two people in the account. Part of your strategy for your best customers should be to expand your relationships. Someday, your contact will leave. Then you face the stress, strain, and anxiety of "Am I going to lose the account? Do I have to start over?"
Every customer you have will someday leave. And your best customers are your competitor's best prospects.
If you want to live a better life, remove stress and anxiety, and build a hedge against future events, don't fall into the "one-contact syndrome." Expand your influence and get to know others. Form relationships with the organization, not just a person.
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