Taking your clients with you

Taking your clients with you

By Sunder Ramachandran

All businesses invest heavily in customer/client service because without customers there would be no business. So if you have decided to call it Quits, join the competitor or start up on your own, you need a client roster for the business to be up and running.

Is it ethical to take the clients of your existing company with you when you leave? Here's the lowdown on the pointers you need to keep in mind.

Legal issues

Do not sabotage or take any information from the parent company that would handicap them or spoil the existing relationship with the client. Confidentiality and intellectual proprietary clauses are drafted by organizations so that they restrain an employee from fleeing away with client details and vital information.

Your employer may have asked you to sign such an agreement when you were hired or during your stint with the company. The organization can take you to court and take legal action. The repercussions involve monetary compensation and also loss of reputation, time and credibility.

Don't overlook even simple things, like manuals, CD ROMS, and other company-owned thingies you might carry to do your job. When compiling a portfolio of your work, make sure you're not taking proprietary information or any manuals either. That's a biggie, just because you created it doesn't mean that you own it.

A company policy or your employment contract may tell you about who owns what. So, it's a good idea to be extra careful about what you take.

Communicating the news to your clients

It is important to know that the Client is aware of your movement to another organization or start up on your own. Let your boss do this for you. If you have very friendly relations with the client, it is OK to share the same however make sure that you do it informally.

It is your Boss’ job to write a mail to the client and make a formal announcement. If you intend to inform the client yourself, do tell them about your notice period and also inform them that you will give a handover to the replacement. This will make sure that the client does not feel jeopardized due to your resignation and stops doing business with your organization.

When to call your clients?

Clients can be great allies and it pays to reach out to them with feedback/suggestions/advice/recommendations etc.

Call your clients when you are looking for new ideas - They could offer you valuable advice about your business as they are at the receiving end of your services/products. Their suggestions and feedback could be your key to the Top position in the company.

Call them and ask for their perspectives and opinions on your services/products. Also if you are proposing an idea or launching a new product/service and get their initial reaction.

Make 'Thank you' calls and send 'Thank you' notes. You can just make a courtesy call and say “That you are calling to check if everything is fine”. Remember their birthdays, anniversaries and other important events and make it a point to call or send a card. The client will be pleasantly surprised that you took the time to say "Thanks" for whatever reason.

Reciprocating to your clients

Show your Clients that you value the relationship and tell them that during every interaction. Thank them for their business and their confidence in you..

Send them information that will help them in their business; give them business leads and referrals. They will truly appreciate this and give you more business in return.

Send unexpected gifts and samples. If you find an article, book or an interesting website – send it across to your client with a note saying "I thought you might enjoy this".

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Remember that clients are the beginning and the end for any business. So, get client savvy and invest in building a strong relationship with them.

Sunder Ramachandran is a Managing Partner at W.C.H Solutions (www.wchsolutions.com), a training solutions organisation. He can be reached at sunder@wchsolutions.com