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The era of the ERRA
- Alon Zaibert
- Jul 9, 2025
- 3 min read
“Do you know where you stand with your client as it relates to your relationship with them” I asked him?
“How do you know?” He asked back.
Let me introduce you to ERRA – Emotional Relevance Relationship Algorithm
A few days ago, I was invited by an EVP of Sales I work with to join a call with one of his Client Success Managers. They were trying to “crack through the relationship” with a specific customer. His words: “It’s just not going anywhere.”
This client relationship had been stagnant for a while. It started out decently about a year ago, and they even renewed the initial agreement. But despite identifying several expansion opportunities, nothing had materialized—no cross-sells, no upsells.
I took notes during the call and prepared for a follow-up discussion.
The EVP told me they'd been using some of the Emotional Relevance tools to increase trust and openness with clients.
So, I asked him:
“How do you know where you stand with this client, in terms of the relationship, at any given time?”
His response was candid:
“I don’t.”
The Emotional Relevance Relationship Meter
A key element of the Emotional Relevance™ approach is the ability to continuously measure the strength of your client relationships. (Yes, we have tools for that too.)
So I asked:
“On a scale of 1 to 5, where would you rate your relationship with this client?”
He replied:
“How do you measure that? What’s a 1 and what’s a 5?”
Here’s what I shared with him — the Emotional Relevance Relationship Meter:
1 – Strictly Professional
Your communication is strictly business. It happens via email, phone (office line), or Zoom. The tone is formal and work-focused.
2 – Exchanging Cell Numbers
You’ve exchanged personal contact information, ideally directly (not scraped from an email signature). A great way to move here: “Here’s my cell — save it and call anytime.”
3 – Calling Their Cell Comfortably (for Work)
You feel comfortable calling their personal cell phone, but only for work-related matters. This is the first sign of real trust.
4 – They Want to Pick Up
When they see your name on their phone screen, do they want to pick up? Through consistent Emotional Relevance™, your name should evoke a positive emotional response.
5 – Personal Openness
You feel comfortable enough to ask them for personal advice. Even if you don’t, you know you could. Once you share something personal, it creates space for reciprocity — a signal you’ve reached a deep level of trust.
"You don't close a sale; you open a relationship,"
— Patricia Fripp
Mapping the Relationship
By the time we reached level 4, the EVP was already sketching on a notepad. I asked to see their Client Mapping — another Emotional Relevance tool. Mapping helps visualize who on your team talks to whom on the client side and what roles they play.
“Let’s take this further,” I said.
Add your team to the map alongside the client’s contacts.
Draw relationship lines between each pair who communicates.
Assign a 1–5 score to each relationship, based on the Relationship Meter.
This creates the foundation for the Emotional Relevance Relationship Algorithm (ERRA) — a calculated measure of your overall relationship health with a client.
When we finished, not one connection scored higher than a 3.
The average? Just 2.3.
And without diving into the math behind ERRA, here’s what you need to know:
A low ERRA score correlates with low retention, low expansion, and minimal trust.
Now You Know
The EVP stared at the map, took a deep breath, and said:
“Okay. Now I know. I’m not sure this client relationship has ever been better than it is now — but at least now I know where we stand. There’s work ahead. But now I can see it.”
Exactly. That’s the power of Emotional Relevance™.
Check your ERRA level with each client regularly — at least monthly. Use the Emotional Relevance approach to actively elevate that number as the relationship progresses.
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