Lesson: Think outside the fishbowl (not the box)

There is an old adage that a fish will grow as big as the bowl in which you put it.

So, if you want a really big fish, give it a really big fishbowl.

When it comes to client development, I've found great success in making big fish even bigger by understanding that they swim in a much larger fishbowl than we usually get to see from our limited perspective.

If salespeople gain insight into how big their client's fishbowl really is, it's easy to help them grow bigger fish.

Here's my favorite example:

About ten years ago, I was was promoted to Sales Manager of the fine jewelry salon at Tiffany & Co. in Beverly Hills. My biggest job to date- 6 sales professionals producing over $30 million in sales annually. In that role, I managed a gentleman (we'll call him Joseph ) who was consistently one of Tiffany's top salespeople worldwide, and who had been with the company more than twenty years. He was incredible. Polished, eloquent, and extremely client focused. Truly a legend.

I had to give Joseph his performance review (already written by my predecessor) and I had to set expectations for the coming year, the first in which I would be leading the team. His evaluation, in keeping with his standards for himself, was exemplary. Easy conversation. Then our discussion turned to my goals for him for the next year.

Now, Joseph hand an ample supply of self confidence and I enjoyed a bit of mental jostling with him. I had big goals and was very direct with Joseph about the goals for the team and his role in achieving them.

Me: “Joseph, you need to produce an extra million dollars in sales next year.”

Joseph: “Are you nuts? I’m among the top in the world and have been for longer than you’ve been with the company.” (That was true). “I’m going to come in here every day, try my hardest, and whatever happens is the result you get.”

He stood up to leave, clearly agitated after what was a very cordial performance assessment.

Now, it was true that I needed to add $1 million in sales. What I didn’t tell Joseph was that the $1 million was needed from my entire team. But I like to work smarter, not harder, when I can and I knew with the right coaching and with hard work, we could do this in a strategic and intelligent way- with one client.

I knew Joseph, and I knew what buttons to push…

Me: “Hear me out. Your top client spent $1.5 million last year. All you need to do is take him to $2.5 million this year. Piece of cake.”

Joseph: “No one spends over a million consistently like this guy does and I’m very happy with that. You should be too. If I push him, he’s going to take his business elsewhere.”

I got lucky. He said exactly what I wanted him to say.

Me: “Mr. J ALREADY takes his business elsewhere. Yes, he has spent over a million every year with you for several years, which is incredible. Yes, he upped it to $1.5 million this year.

Joseph, you know what Mr. J HAS SPENT with you, so let me share with you what Mr. J IS SPENDING elsewhere. You're not seeing the big fishbowl he swims in.

What if I told you that, in addition to the $1.5 million he spent with you at Tiffany this year…

he ALSO spent

$1 million at Harry Winston

$2 million at Graff

$15 million for a new house

$5 million on artwork

AND just sold stock in his company that put $300 million dollars CASH in his bank account?

And, that's just what I know about.

Does any of that make you believe that you can get him to add $1 million to his spending with you? Because the Joseph I know would take all that information and figure out how to get him to spend TWO or THREE million more, not just one.”

I had played my cards perfectly. I could see it. I took his mind out of the fishbowl he knew and got him to see a MUCH bigger fishbowl. Joseph was very competitive, and I could almost see the wheels turning as he thought about how to accomplish this goal.

Joseph and I worked together to create some really special opportunities for this client. Not every one of them worked, but one or two did. Joseph did not add $1 million….he added $1.2 million JUST WITH THIS CLIENT. It was a good year- for David, for me, and our team.

But here's what made it even better. Joseph was incredibly and deservedly well respected. He took what I did and, with very little help from me, got his teammates to learn more about the fishbowls that their top clients swam in.

How does that apply now?

Well, the internet has come a long way. Want to know where your top clients shop? Look at Google images to see what apparel, jewelry and watches they're wearing when photographed at events. In many cases, your sales team is connected via social media (Facebook, Instagram) which provides additional insight into their tastes, travel destinations, shopping preferences, and obviously what they wear. As long as the knowledge you gain is utilized with discretion and with the sincere needs and interests of the client in mind, you can really get a great sense of their "fishbowl", which is ALWAYS bigger than the one you see in-store.

We were able to lift our own limiting beliefs on what our top clients were capable of by spending, and we weren't afraid to strategically pursue bigger opportunities- and did so with a great deal of success. I trust you can too.

The lesson- the fishbowl is only as big as you see it….and you can ALWAYS see it bigger.

What are some best practices and success stories you can share?