Our previous three articles have focused on “how” to develop exclusive client relationships. In this article I will provide a summary of the questions from the near record number of calls and emails I have received in response to those articles.

The agreement to work on an exclusive basis with your client can be confirmed either verbally or in writing. However, as a wise man once noted:

“Verbal agreements aren’t worth the paper they’re written on.”

The exclusive relationship is established verbally but should be confirmed in writing and signed off by both parties. If you are dealing with a reputable client who is sincere about utilizing your services on an exclusive basis, there should be no valid reason why they would not sign a document that confirms that to which they have already agreed. Therefore, we will concentrate on written agreements.

In our previous article we stated that “… exclusive relationships generally produce better results, in less time, while requiring the investment of fewer client resources than traditional methodologies.” However, this is a fact that may not be widely accepted by your prospect/clients. Therefore, in order to sell the concept of exclusivity, whether retainer or contingency, you must understand the justification for establishing such a relationship.

The state of the economy notwithstanding, the opportunity to secure business on an exclusive basis may be greater today than at any time in the past ten years. Companies have no margin for error when filling mission critical positions and many of them are choosing to use fewer vendors who can produce better, more consistent results. This presents an increased opportunity to build exclusive relationships with your clients. However, in order to take advantage of this opportunity, you must be prepared to understand and properly present the benefits that accrue for clients through this type of mutually supportive relationship.

The major difference between a contingency client relationship and an exclusive client relationship may have been stated best by a client who said:

“If I understand it correctly, with a contingency relationship I’m in if it works. However, in an exclusive relationship, I’m in and it better work. Does that about sum it up?”

Yes, that about sums it up.