Robin Cook, presales manager at Solifi, defines an exceptional client experience in three parts: understanding what a customer needs today, where they’re headed tomorrow and building a solution around both. The payoff sometimes comes months or years later, when a client calls because they consider Cook a trusted advisor.

“Listen to understand, not to respond,” Cook says. “Too many people are just waiting for their turn to talk, without ever really paying attention to what someone is saying.”

Cook measures success by trust. The moments that matter most, he says, are when a client calls and asks, “What do you think?” It’s a sign they see Cook as an extension of their business — someone they are willing to vouch for and lean on in return.