I was recently at a conference in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. After my meeting, I had the opportunity to select one of several recreational activities. I choose mountain biking since we do not have that many mountains in Wisconsin. How can you not have fun screaming down a mountain? Yes, I’m an idiot.

As we’re gearing up for this adventure, someone sagely asks the guide if we need to worry about bears.  Bears? All of a sudden I start thinking the golf option might have been a good play. The guide assures us we really have nothing to worry about, which puts us at ease. Then he wryly adds, “It’s really the moose and buffalo you need to look out for, they can burst right out of the brush and charge you.” That knowledge makes me feel A LOT better … where was that little nugget of information in the brochure?  Too late, I am now a client, not a prospect.

Now I’m riding and anxiously scanning my surroundings. The guide doesn’t help, he just pulls up to each of us and whispers, “Don’t worry, you don’t need to be faster than the moose, you just need to be faster than one of your bike mates.” Reassuring and inspiring words, which prompt us to size each other up to determine who is going to survive this moose death match.

That’s when it happens. We almost ride right up on a buffalo. Not just any buffalo – a momma buffalo and her calf. Even the guides are nervous. One guide says, “This is not good. The buffalo focuses on what’s important and guards it ferociously.” We finally dismount our bikes and haul them through the sagebrush to get around the buffalo. This is great fun, especially when the conversation turns toward what types of snakes dwell on a Wyoming canyon floor. As we pull our bikes and ourselves to safety, we exit the canyon with a few laughs, tired muscles and a bit of wisdom too.

I believe we can all learn from that buffalo. In today’s tough economic times, we need to establish what’s important (hint: clients). We must guard them ferociously. (I have a new appreciation for what that means.) I’m talking about a deadly serious, no-holds-barred approach to making sure no one messes with your “family” of clients. To do this, you need to ask the following questions:

1. Do I have a list of my clients by revenue?
2. Do I have a list of clients by profitability?
3. Is there a proactive strategic plan in place for the top accounts?
4. Is there a relationship with every decision maker and those who influence your client?
5. Have you proactively asked your client, “What can I do better to help you?”
6. Do you monitor your agency’s touches to the top accounts?
7. Have you forced account rounding and cross-selling to keep other firms out?
8. Do you provide detailed stewardship reports for your largest clients?

Finding new revenue is difficult. Investing extra time to ensure the top accounts are protected is critical to an agency’s success. Champion agencies have strong retention strategies in place to protect the bottom line. This starts at the top and is an ongoing monthly commitment.

If you have not been in the Broker Briefcase in awhile, I strongly urge you to spend a few minutes in the different categories. Many communications and strategies can be done quickly and simply, yet impress that you spent a lot of time putting them together.

In this economy, the most important thing you can do is guard your clients ferociously. Because let’s face it, losing a large client feels like getting trampled by a buffalo.