| |
| |
|
Marketing Information |
|
|
|
The M-Word
It was a real eye-opener to hear the perceptions people have about what it means to market professional services, as well as the anxiety the "m-word" (marketing) conjures up. It reminded me that, just because professional service providers have a lot of expertise in their chosen field, it doesn't mean they have the same level of understanding about the business of growing a practice. As a matter of fact, expertise can get in the way of being a good marketer. As a highly-trained professional, it's easy and natural to communicate about what you know and how you do it. But it falls on deaf ears and glazed-over eyes when you use words, images, and language that are about your expertise, not about the problems you solve for your target audience. What Marketing Professional Services Is Not The most common misperception is that marketing is about wowing prospects with your expertise using slick brochures, advertising, websites, logos, press releases, flyers, networking, and "communications programs." You are wasting your firm's time and money if your approach to marketing starts and stops here. Why? Because unless you've clearly nailed (and tested!) your message to intended clients, investing prematurely in these things will only accelerate how much you'll confuse them! Logos, brochures, websites, and ads are mere tools that help you communicate your message in a way that builds and sustains relationships with your target market. The expensive and frustrating mistake I see professional service firms make over and over again is that they jump to develop the tools of marketing before they've clearly identified the right things to say, to the right audience, with the right timing, in the right combination of ways, using the right tools. It's actually a bit more complicated than that, since each of these tools should be thought of as a strategy (i.e., your online strategy, your networking and referral strategy, your direct mail strategy, your PR strategy). All of these strategies, then, get woven together in a sequence and combination -- an integrated system -- that makes sense for your firm and your market, based on your business objectives and your resources. More on that later, but first, let's look at what marketing your professional services really is. Marketing Professional Services IS... ...all about building trust. Getting people to buy your expertise as a professional service provider is an intangible sale. As sales guru Harry Beckwith says, it's "selling the invisible." Sure, you may have "consulting services" or "IT services" or "financial planning services" that seem pretty tangible to you. But for your intended client, it's about trusting that your firm is their best choice -- out of all others offering the same service (so it seems from your client's perspective!) -- for solving their problems. Period. So how do you do this? Through a 2-phased approach to creating a "system of strategies" that reaches out to, learns from, and educates your target audience. Do it right, and you'll create a buzz that attracts more clients to your firm than you ever thought possible. For specific tips on what to consider in building your firm's system of marketing strategies, keep reading... Here's what you need to consider before you spend another dime on brochures, business cards, a website, or flyer (ditto for the time you spend networking or giving talks -- these tips apply to any method of communication, written or verbal!). Think of this in two phases: Phase 1 is about building the case for your intended clients to trust you, as a basis for deciding that your firm is the best one to solve their problems. Phase 2 is about building relationships through the strategies that makes sense for your firm, given your unique goals, needs, resources, etc. This month, you'll get tips on Phase 1...next month, we'll look at Phase 2. During Phase 1, you must... * be crystal clear about who your intended client is and is not. As counter-intuitive as it sounds, the more niched your services are, the easier it is to communicate with them in specific ways, and the faster you'll attract clients. If you try to sell your services to "small business" or "homeowners," guess what...so are a lot your competitors. Look different through your clients' eyes by defining your unique niche. Linda Falkenstein's "Nichecraft" is a great book to learn more, also available on our website, under Books. * develop language to talk or write about your firm that focuses on your intended clients' problems, not your services, or worse, the processes you use. This solution-based language is the foundation for any packaging and promotion you do verbally (i.e., during sales meetings, telephone calls, networking events) and in writing (i.e., online through your website and newsletter; offline through brochures, direct mail, etc.). * for every single encounter you have with your target market (i.e., through your written materials, online, in person), answer the questions "where is the reader or listener's head right now? what's in it for them to pay attention to us? what is their burning problem right now that we can help resolve?" * develop a core "solution statement" that tells who you serve and the problem you solve. This becomes the "magnetic north" of your marketing strategy. For example, ours is "TurningPointe Marketing helps professional service firms attract more clients, stabilize their business, and take their practice to the next level." Whether it's at a networking event, on my website, this core statement drives everything we do and keeps us focused. Whether it's in a letter of introduction, how we introduce ourselves, who we do and do not consider a prospect, where we spend our time, it's all about helping professional service firms grow their business. By the way, this core statement usually gets an "interesting...how do you do that?" response, which gets the conversation going. Notice we don't say "We do marketing strategy." That more typical response is about us, not them, and does nothing to invite further dialog. * articulate and demonstrate your "case" for why intended clients should trust you. This is done through articles and talks that share your expertise, case studies illustrating your results with clients, third-party recognition in the press, awards, testimonials, and so on. These things become the building blocks for strategies you'll use in Phase 2. * "productize," package, and price your services in ways that make it easy for your intended clients to buy from you. High-end consulting services is only one way to work with big companies. What other smaller, less expensive, short-sales-cycle offers can you make? Next month, we'll look at what's involved in Phase 2 of your "system of strategies" to market your professional services. Remember, the key is to see marketing professional services as a relationship-building process, not tactics, that begins with a client-centric mastery of how you communicate with your target audience. Like any solid relationship that lasts, your relationship with intended and current clients must be based on trust. Start with that objective in mind, and the m-word you'll start to enjoy is "more" in the form of more clients, more results, and more return on your marketing dollars. © 2003 TurningPointe Marketing, Inc. All rights reserved. We encourage sharing and publication of Your Monthly TurningPointe in whole or in part if copyright and attribution, including live web site link and email link, are always included. Please let us know where and when it will appear. Thank you! (c) 2004 TurningPointe Marketing, Inc. All rights reserved.
MORE RESOURCES:
Marketing - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Successful Surveys: 10 Tips for Better Results Why would you use an email or online survey when you could simply call your clients and customers and ask for their input?Lots of reasons.- standardization- easy to get large numbers of responses- easy to tabulate, analyze- easy (and often fun) for your clients and customers- inexpensive- non-intrusive- time-efficient (for you, and for your clients and customers)- protect your customers' anonymity (if important)- professional- no "cold calls"- no answering machines!And have you figured out how long it would take to have 100 fifteen-minute conversations instead? (I don't have to do the math to know that it's WAY too long!)So in this article, I'm going to talk surveys. The Most Powerful Marketing Weapon Ever Invented It was probably first discovered out there in the caves or wherever else the history of mankind begun. And yet this weapon has been used so sparingly over the centuries. Why Instant Gratification Marketing Condemns Businesses To Losing 90% Of Their Potential Customers Most businesses target only people "ready-to-buy". These hot prospects are "Now Buyers" because they've been inching closer to a decision for some period of time. Do You Know Where Your Email Address is Today? Having people go to your website is not always easy: remind them with a special business card.Whether you understand it nor not, the web is likely here to stay; those businesses that do not yet have a web presence, or at least email addresses, are likely to get left in the dust. Sell Your Name, Not Your Product Do you know what the majority of people sell? I could not tell you what Michael Green sells, but if he does sell something, then I would probably buy it. His name is popular among the "Marketers". Top 5 Tips For Media Selection Marketers have a wide variety of media at their disposal. Most of us think first of the advertising troika of newspapers, magazines and TV. The Most Important Marketing Principles of All Time As you have probably experienced there is a lot of hype in the business and marketing world. New concepts, revolutionary methods and the like land in our in boxes every day. Systems - Marketing Your Business Successfully Business Systems that work for anyone, are a fundamental necessity for any networking venture. While most people rely upon their own company business system or plan for success, there is always a different option. 10 Important Marketing Tips Each of the following Ten Marketing Tips is based on a highly effective but often overlooked marketing tactic. How many are you using? How many have you overlooked?Marketing Tip #1: Insulate yourself against the impact of change by increasing the number of products and services you offer . GoogSpy: Business Counter Intelligence for Everyone So, you want to know what your competitors are up to these days, or maybe you want to research a keyword campaign that will rank you at the top of the heap for whatever product or service you're selling? Meet GoogSpy, a special search engine that not only shows you what Google AdWords your competitors are buying, but it will display all of the search terms that rank them in the top 10, PLUS it even displays their top 25 competitors.What search engine does it base all of its intelligence on? Well, with a name like GOOGspy, there can only be one. Marketing Strategies: What Choices Do You Have? Most business people want to see improvements in sales and profits. But how do you get there? What choices do you have?To build your business there are four strategic options that must be considered:1) Sell existing products to existing customers. Beyond the Booth With the advent of spring, trade shows begin to blossom. Research suggests that tradeshows are where today's businesses invest much of their marketing budgets. Getting Ideas for Your Postcards If you're going to do postcard marketing on an ongoing basis, it's a good idea to have a collection of cards to inspire you. In advertising and marketing circles, this is called a "swipe file. Be Prepared for Marketing For most businesses, making a sale is all important. However, despite the amount of effort and attention given to getting sales, there is often no attention given to developing and effectively implementing a systematic marketing process. Funnel Your Way to Marketing Success A funnel is a good way to think of the marketing process. The top is very broad and consists of using mass marketing techniques. How Do I Define My Market? Your market is who you want to reach. Your customer. Determining Visitor Types The trade show floor is full of different types of people with different agendas. Some people have specific goals for attending the show; others do not. Client or Customer? There Really Is A Difference Some people use the words "client" and "customer" interchangeably or generically. I'd like you to think a little about these important words because there is a significant difference - one that can have huge impact upon your long-term business. Marketing Ideas Without Action Will Get You Nowhere! Marketing Ideas Without Action Get You NowhereYou want to grow your small business, but how do you do that? Many of the small businesses I work with are not really sure what works best, or how, or where to get started.We're all familiar with the term Marketing, but what in the heck is it really supposed to do for us?* Build brand awareness* Build name recognition* Increase market share* Get more clients* Generate referrals* Create more repeat businessMaybe you've tried some things in the past like brochures, yellow pages advertising, Chamber of Commerce networking but were disappointed with the results so you stopped doing them. Sponsorship: A Key to Powerful Marketing Sponsorship is the fastest growing form of marketing in the U.S.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
