Leave things behind

As the renovation of our Victorian house continues I've noticed is that my builder leaves things behind. A small collection of Acrow props, a 110 volt transformer and cables, a table saw, excess materials, and so on.

The builder isn’t disorganised. The things left behind are for future work. But leaving things on a client’s site also serves another purpose.

You see the builder occasionally has to drop by and pick some tools up. When he does we'll have a chat about what's next on the project, what I'm doing myself, and where I need his help.

This got me thinking about using the same method to create ongoing access to consultancy clients.

Do you deliberately leave things behind to make that access easier in the future?

Imagine how much stronger your client relationships could become if you did. You get extra face time - off the project. That’s a chance to touch base, see how the client is doing, offer them tips and advice, leave them tools, and find out where your skills might be put to use next. Just like my builder does.

Don’t end up looking like a disorganised doughnut though. Whatever your leave behind, make it purposeful. Let the client knows it’s deliberate, and signpost that you’ll be back in the future.

You might start by lending them a report, book, or piece of technology to try. Let me know how you get on.