The game changing effect of one client

There is a principle of life which states that, “what you look for, you’ll find”. A lot of times our beliefs about what is possible is where our limitations are. Another principle is, “whatever you’ve come to believe and accept as possible will be your reality”. One client can turn around your business; one client might be the missing link between where you are and where you want to be. The question is, will you recognize this client when you see him or her? Big things can come in small packages.

I was at a seminar a few months ago where a real estate business mogul said his business turned around because of one client. He walked up to her at the airport and introduced himself. He said he admired what she was doing for our nation and gave her his business card. A few months later she called him asking to purchase four luxury properties that day. Within a few years several of such transactions came from this client and many referrals. Any client you see may be that ‘one client’. Just be watchful so you don’t miss them.

It happened to Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren (formerly Ralph Lifshitz) is today worth $5.7billion by Forbes Magazine. As a young entrepreneur he started his business selling ties to retail stores, these ties were the first of their kind due to their unique cut and was branded in his name. Everything turned around when he was able to persuade Bloomingdale’s (an American chain of luxury department stores) to buy his ties. They refused at first because they wanted him to remove his name from the labels, of which Ralph Lauren refused. They later called him a few months later and gave him a space in their store to sell his ties. This they had done for no one before then. After this, his sales took a quantum leap and he even moved from selling ties to other clothing. This single client was a game changer for Ralph Lauren and his business.

A few years ago while in banking, a colleague of mine was leaving the bank and handed over two of her clients to me. Trust me, I wasn’t excited, it just seemed to be more work. Besides, they seemed demanding and preferred to work with ladies. Nevertheless, I gave my best to serve them. A day came when they had a ‘stubborn’ transaction. I had to get approvals from several bosses to get the transaction through. It was eventually successful. We were expecting some money to hit their accounts from Lebanon. Guess how much came in? Two Million Dollars!!! This client was a game changer for me because I met my target for the year. Watch out for that client who may be a game changer for you so you don’t miss them because big things sometimes come in small packages.
Iyore Ogbuigwe is a sales coach.