Bring New Ideas To Your Clients To Grow Your Business Faster

In the competitive landscape of business, achieving consistent growth often feels like an uphill battle. How do you break through the noise, secure new clients, and expand your market share without resorting to desperate measures? A recent article, “Mastering the 80/20 Rule for Business Growth” on Investors.com, featuring insights from industry leaders like Bill Canady and Matthew Dixon, sheds light on a powerful, yet often overlooked, strategy: proactively bringing new ideas to your clients.

The Surprising Client Complaint

You might think clients want you to be quiet, efficient, and only speak when spoken to. However, Matthew Dixon, a founding partner of DCM Insights, reveals a startling truth from a global study: clients’ biggest complaint about the professionals they work with is that they don’t hear from them enough.

“Clients tell us that they are so heads-down in their own business priorities that they feel like they have blinders on,” Dixon explains in the article. This is a critical insight. Your clients are immersed in their daily operations, often unaware of emerging opportunities or potential solutions that lie just outside their immediate view. They need you, the expert, to broaden their horizons.

Why Your Clients Crave New Ideas

Clients expect their professionals to be their eyes and ears in the market. As Dixon points out, you likely “talk to more people like them in a week than they’ll talk to all year.” This unique vantage point makes you an invaluable source of external insights. They genuinely “want and expect their professionals to bring new ideas to them when they think it’s worth their time.”

This isn’t about being pushy or “selling too hard.” It’s about being a valuable partner. When you proactively share relevant insights, trends, or solutions, you’re not selling; you’re providing value. You’re demonstrating that you understand their business, anticipate their needs, and are invested in their success.

How to Cultivate the “Idea-Sharing” Habit

The question then becomes: what actionable steps can you take to consistently bring new ideas to your clients?

1. Ask Yourself the Core Question: Dixon recommends a simple but powerful exercise: “What’s one thing I wish all of my clients knew about a specific issue or opportunity?” This forces you to think from their perspective and identify genuinely valuable insights.
2. Build a Business Development Habit: Psychologist Anders Ericsson’s research highlights that consistent, small efforts can yield massive results. Spending just 18 minutes a day (or 100 hours a year) on a new skill or behavior can enable you to perform better than 95% of the population. Apply this to client engagement:
   • Block out small chunks of time on your calendar specifically for “idea generation” or “client outreach.”
   • Start small, be consistent, and build from there.
3. Leverage LinkedIn (and other relevant platforms): Dixon suggests connecting with clients and prospects on platforms like LinkedIn. This isn’t just for networking; it’s a powerful tool for intelligence gathering. By connecting, you train the algorithm to show you what your clients care about and engage with. This gives you a “perfect opportunity to spot ways you could offer value to them.”

The Payoff: Growth and Competitive Advantage

This proactive approach aligns perfectly with the 80/20 Principle championed by leaders like Bill Canady, which emphasizes focusing your efforts on the 20% of activities that yield 80% of results. By bringing new ideas to clients, you’re directly engaging in high-impact activities that differentiate you from competitors.

When you consistently provide value, you build stronger relationships, foster trust, and naturally position yourself as the go-to expert. As Dixon notes, you’ll be surprised how receptive clients are, and how this “effort will lead to paid work.” Furthermore, if you don’t do this, a competitor who does will be ready to “swoop in and sell your client their work right under your nose.”

Don’t wait for your clients to come to you with problems they’ve already identified. Be the one who brings them solutions and opportunities they haven’t even thought of yet. This isn’t just good client service; it’s a powerful engine for accelerated business growth.

For more deep dives into applying the 80/20 rule and other strategies for business acceleration, be sure to check out the full article: “Mastering the 80/20 Rule for Business Growth” on Investors.com.