The handover gap
A rate change passes through three groups: the partners who decide it, the account leads who have to say it, and the clients who hear it. Most firms design the first step carefully and the third step nervously. Almost nobody designs the second.
The account lead is handed a number, a date, and sometimes a slide. What they are not handed is the reason, in words they can say out loud without sounding like a memo. So when the first client pushes back, the lead improvises. And improvised sentences discount.
This is the handover gap. It is not a courage problem or a training problem. It is a writing problem, and it belongs to the partner who argued for the change.19:32
Maya Chen · Can we say “account partner” rather than “account lead” throughout? That is our term.
Andreas: Yes. Changing it in all 13 pieces and adding it to your profile.