Sometimes you meet someone, and they leave you with a piece of advice that serves you for years to come.
Many years ago, a mentor recounted how he was speaking to a client and what they were saying did not feel or sound congruent. So he said to his client, something about what you are saying is not resonating with me what’s going on here?
He said the guy stopped the BS and started to speak honestly. I learned a valuable lesson; you have to be prepared to go there.
I had the same experience several years later where, as I listened, I thought something isn’t right here. I wanted to say something but was afraid. It was a good contract, especially from a financial perspective, but I knew I had to say something.
I looked at him and said, listening to you everything seems fine, but something is not resonating for me. It just does not feel right. He went quiet for a while and said you are right, and we proceeded to have a very different conversation.
It can be scary to challenge a client sometimes; a lot may be at stake – the fee for one – but in my view, it has to be done. You will find in the end that quite often they will thank you for doing so.
As professionals, we have a duty to challenge when something does not feel or sound right, otherwise what purpose are we serving?
