Taking care of your top 10 clients is the best way to grow yourrevenue streams. Ask yourself two questions. First, how do you takecare of each of these top 10 relationships to strengthen them?Second, what else can you do to strengthen them? The more youexamine those relationships the more you will discover how tomanage them, strengthen them and, as a result, your revenue streamswill grow.

In addition to how you currently take care of these clients,consider giving a book to each of them. A book requires imaginationand goes beyond the realm of ordinary tangible gifts and shouldstrengthen your relationship with each client.

There are three sound reasons for giving books to theseclients.

1. A book makes you stand out in a remarkable way. While theclient is reading the book, you are occupying space in thatclient's mind. How many other advisors can say that?
2. A book shows that you are a big picture person that thrives onnew ideas.
3. Ideally, a book should lead to your receiving a stream ofreferrals from the client.

What makes a book such a unique gift are the ideas it containsand how those ideas might help a client address their challengesand transcend them. Is there anything more valuable than youintroducing new ideas to a client and the client appreciatingit?

Strengthen Relationships
Give a book to a top-10 client 90 days before the annual review.Tell the client how much you appreciate their business. The 90-dayperiod allows your client time to read the book or, at least, tobegin it. If your client does not initiate the topic of the bookduring the review, you can ask, "Did you have a chance to read thebook? And, if you did, what did you think of it?"

Develop Referrals
The best way to obtain referrals is to ask for them, by saying,"Would you be willing to share the name of a business contact thatmight enjoy reading this book?" If the client does give you thename of a contact, explain that you will personally deliver thebook to that individual. Thank the client for the contact.

Always make it easy for your client to give you referrals bysuggesting hints such as their CPA, attorney, internist anddentist. Never fail to ask your client for the name of a book he orshe has read that you might enjoy. That not only makes book givinga two-way street, it also gives you something in common.

Then tell the client, "I could also take the book to your CPAand to your attorney." Your client expects you to ask for morenames. Clients are smart. They know you. These contacts areprobably quality referrals because these contacts have valuessimilar to your clients.

Ask for these names in person because it is easier for theclient to find the contact information while meeting with you faceto face. Your client's office is one of his or her most comfortablesettings. This is why you should meet there to ask for a contact.This is more effective than asking for referrals during a telephoneconversation or through an email. Don't forget to send ahand-written thank you note immediately.

Call Referrals
Call the contact and introduce yourself. When you get theappointment, follow up with a confirmation letter on yourstationery. Remind the contact of your conversation, but don't usethe exact words you used on the phone. Confirm the day, date, andtime you will be there, and mention that you look forward to themeeting.

When you have given the book to the contact, ask, "Could I callyou during the week of (date) to see if you found the bookinteresting or of value? Choose a date that is three months in thefuture. If the contact agrees to the date, he has given youpermission to call again!

Write a thank you note on your stationery as soon as you getback to your office. Say, "I want to thank you for meeting with me.I hope you enjoy the book as much as [Name of client] did. I willfollow up the week of (date) to see if you enjoyed the book."During that follow-up telephone conversation and after the contactexpresses appreciation for the book, ask, "Would you be willing tospend 30 minutes exploring how my services might be of help toyou?" If the contact agrees to a meeting you have a prospect.

Track Your Distribution
Before you give the first book to a client, design a spreadsheet torecord the following information: the date you give the book to aclient, the client's name, the title and author of the book, thefollow-up date on which you plan to call the client, the names ofthe business contacts you receive, and the cost of the book. Noteon the spreadsheet and in Microsoft Outlook (if you use thatprogram) the contacts names and the dates you plan to call them.This will help you monitor distribution.