This is the most agonizing excuse for not marketing, “I failed once; why try again?” Stop the agony and join post-mortem firm reviews on proposals that failed. Take advantage of your firm’s business development training and other professional development programs such as client retention and client management. And learn the value of slugging away.
If ever there were a Zen excuse for not marketing, it is” I’m afraid of the process.” Oh, come on. Follow Arthur Ashe’s advice – “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”
Almost every day there is an advertisement offering a service or product that is new or improved, such as Will Your Dog Eat the Dog Food? Or Have you tried our new combination of juices? And even Take our test drive for free??? And believe it or not, selling a new service, entering a new market place, or offering reminders of what your firm does so well, are managed and marketed in much the same way. In law firm marketing or business development for consulting services, recognize you are entering a new “beachhead” market.
“But we are professionals, and not selling hard goods.” Yes you are, but new business development for professional services such as law, accounting, architecture and engineering have the same elements needed for success. To quote Bill Aulet (author of Disciplined Entrepreneurship), “. . . before you invest large amounts of time and money, make sure the dogs will eat the dog food! And, oh yes, make sure the dog’s owners (or friends or primary/secondary clients) will PAY for the dog food.”
Referring back to previous columns, remember you should have already:
This test marketing for law firm marketing, accounting firm business development, consulting services new business growth is critical. Prior to a full launch, you must determine if prospects and clients will engage your new or refined services and actually pay for them. Are they working as intended? Are clients referring new prospects to you? Is your team consistent in their business development efforts and presenting the same core story? Are you seeing trends to take advantage of or are they leading to unexpected challenges?
The final step will hopefully be following your beachhead success and refinements. The new business development efforts will be successful.
The second theme focusing on new business development in Bill Aulet’s Disciplined Entrepreneurship is “What Can You Do For Your Client?” Once you have taken the first steps outlined in Part I, identifying who your client is, Aulet says you must now identify what you offer of value. These include:
To receive more details on creating value in a highly competitive market place, contact us.
In Disciplined Entrepreneurship, Bill Aulet begins his 6 themes with Who Is Your Ideal Customer, focusing on business development. Topics covered include:
The Closers Group offers a complimentary collection of speed-review questions that are essential to Getting To Know Your Client and determining how to undertake new business development.
Contact us and request these 14 questions.