Top 2011 Blog Posts that will Help You Excel in 2012

We all go into battle every day. Some of the lone wolves think they can do this by themselves. Yet, marketing professional services is a team sport. Think of your efforts as creating a collective and relying on the team for the skills they bring to the table. This post is intended to help you help the team. In doing this, you will excel next year.  2011 is almost at a close, and it’s that time of year when most of us reflect on the year gone by. What’s worked? What hasn’t? What should we start thinking about for 2012? Here at the Insight for Marketing blog that means taking stock of blog posts and topics from the year to find out what topics and issues are speaking to all of you.

Proposals 2012: How to Win More Clients

In the event that the coming year is the time for you to throw a business proposal or two out there on a regular basis, keep several factors in mind.

Six Reasons Why You Should Hire a Consultant

Whether you should be looking at a consultant for marketing, business development or in the case of this article, public relations, the reasons for retaining outside services are the same.

Senior Managers are Biggest Roadblock to Effective Internal Communication, Survey Says (originally published on May 25)
Challenges with senior management is the reason many internal communicators pull back from what they believe to be the appropriate course of action, according to a recent survey by the Institute of Internal Communication (IoIC). Among those surveyed, 45 percent said senior managers are a major block to progress in key areas of their development. (Read more.)

What is Branding and what does the mind have to do with it?

Not sure if you saw this already, but Fast Company magazine and Mechanica released a joint survey titled the Branding Forward Project in which 623 marketers participated. Lots of interesting findings, many of which showed a divide between proponents of traditional marketing approaches and those favoring new marketing techniques.

5 ways B2B companies can benefit by listening to social media conversations

When we read about the importance of listening, monitoring and being active in social media, it is typically in reference to B2C companies. Social media is almost seen as “sexy” and a “must-have strategy” for B2C success, yet we tend to hear less about how important real-time listening and social media monitoring is for B2B companies.

Leadership Communication: 6 Steps to Handle Tough Conversations (originally published on March 2)

Having tough conversations and communicating difficult topics is part of a leader’s job. But just like you plan for contingencies in your business, planning how you will communicate difficult messages can improve the ultimate outcome. It is seldom easy to share difficult news, but thinking through your approach in advance definitely can improve the process.

In addition to the variety of topics posted above, you migh want to take another look at the Insight for Marketing posts over the last 12 months.  The information varies from building sales, to creating marketing plans and investing in social media.  Finally, we always appreciate your feedback and questions.  If we can be of any further service, please contact us.  We believe in free speech and our preliminary conversations are always offered without charge.

What Architectural School Didn’t Teach You: Taking Control of Selling Professional Services

Do you know any architects who grew up wishing they could be used car salesmen?  Did you know any engineers or lawyers with a similar wish?  As a rule, one reason people are drawn to professional services is because of their desire to be as far away from sales as possible.   

The above cartoon reflects the attitude of how most people working in professional services feel about sales.

As I was thinking about this dilemma in professional services, I remembered how Monster.com approached this subject about a year ago. I was amused by their  television commercial that showed children stating what they wanted to be when they grew up.  It was a change from normal responses and included children who stated they wanted to become “Yes men and women,” “forced into early retirement”,  and “avoid risk at all costs” to mention a few.  The ad pointed out the reality of career choice decisions that often don’t turn out the way we planned.

I have delivered messages to people living in a homeless shelter that talk about how nobody ever thinks they will grow up to be an addict, homeless, or broken.  When we are young, we aspire for greater things, noble professions, and careers with substance. Then life happens and we are forced to expand our comfort zone.

People who aspire to be engineers, architects, lawyers or CPAs have passion for the profession and talent for honing the skills that are required to succeed.  Selling, however, is not one of the attributes on top of the minds of people seeking a career in professional services. Many firms won’t even use the word “sales”.  They prefer to use business development or marketing, as if these two disciplines were interchangeable.  Management understands the need to maintain comfort zones, if the professionals are going to excel at what they do best. However, management is also more interested in the bottom line.

The great architecture, engineering, and law schools don’t teach classes in selling professional services or marketing professional services.  It isn’t because professionals don’t sell. In fact, changes in all of these professions have caused many more professionals to spend time selling.  They didn’t sign up for it.  Many inherited it.  For others it was a management decision because a person was “good with clients.”  Selling isn't taught because it is not technically a needed skill to practice the profession. 

Today, most firms need their professionals to be proactive in nurturing clients and acquiring new ones.  Does your firm have a sales training program like the one I discovered at an architectural firm I was consulting with?  It was client-centric.  Meaning that management wanted its project managers to get the next job from the clients they were currently working with.  It was a goal without tactics or tools to be used by project managers to move the next project forward.  Another firm came up with a plan to boost profits by having project managers spend one extra day cold calling potential clients when they were in a town working on a project.  In theory, it was fantastic.  The people who know the firm’s services the best, including some industry experts, simply call on clients similar to the one who is being visited and the projects will roll in.  Unfortunately, the project managers didn’t buy into the idea and no one ever scheduled an extra day to do the cold calling.  Management took a lot of heat on that one.

This is an example of “give someone a fish and he eats for a day. Teach the person how to fish and he will  eat for the rest of his life.”  Management thought by empowering project managers to stay an extra day, they were providing incentive for project managers to sell more work.  Were they given a template showing how to make contact calls?  Were they given instruction on how a cold call differs from a project meeting?  Were they taught basic sales techniques and how to handle objections?  Were they asked their opinion of the idea? The answers to these questions are no, no, no and are you kidding.

Some people have an advantage over the majority who lack selling skills.  Charisma, outgoing personalities and life experiences that included selling make it easier for some professionals to accept a limited role in selling. However, even the project executive who can sell ice cubes to Eskimos and is totally at ease in a selling environment still needs to be given some other tools.  When your only tool is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.  After all, the Eskimo who was sold ice cubes might have really needed the refrigerator/freezer.

Charisma, for example can go a long way, but might stall out when these selling issues come into play:  psychological, personal, political, business outcomes, risk, reward, credibility and trust.  My book, “Everything You Need in Selling Professional Services, You Learned in Youth Sports, describes the basics every professional needs to sell their services.

The economy, global markets, government regulations and increased competition have created a new paradigm for selling professional services.  Since the hallowed halls of higher education aren’t teaching courses in these disciplines, where do you go? Trial and error or baptism by fire are two options.

Visit Business Development Professionals and see another answer.  For many firms it is THE answer because of the custom nature of its training programs.  It might be your answer as well.  The search is free and only takes a couple minutes of your time. 

Pressure Points in Selling Professional Services

A client asked me earlier this summer, “What do you do when a potential client stalls on making a decision to use your services?”  Most professional service firms have been in this position at one time or another.  Sometimes it is real and other times it stems from the timing and urgency we manufacture. 

We often put our time ahead of the clients timing. So, my response to this question was, “Why do you feel the client is stalling you?”  I heard a number of reasons why this client was not pulling the trigger on the job that my client felt he was best qualified to provide.  He even emphasized that he had made this point several times over a variety of meetings.  It was then that I told him there are pressure points in selling a client, new or old.

Basic first aid has taught most of us how to use a tourniquet.  When someone is bleeding from an arm or leg, the blood needs to be cut off or the person might die.  The use of a tourniquet can be tricky.  If you squeeze too hard and no blood goes to the limb, the limb might die.  If not enough pressure is applied, the person might bleed to death.

Marketers of professional services need to think about the application of a tourniquet when they deal with clients.  In other words, you need to know the pressure points of their condition and your solution.

Press too hard and the project is dead to you.  If you don’t put enough pressure on the right hot button at the right time, the project might flow to a competitor.  It is often a delicate balance, especially when dealing with a new client.

What do client pressure points look like?  It might be time for a brief review:

       ·         Funding available for the project
       ·         Key decision makers and their influence
       ·         Context of what happens after a decision is made
       ·         Consequences of a bad decision
       ·         Outside distractions—family, friends, organizations
       ·         Personal outcomes of a successful project
       ·     The client’s vision

Obviously, there are other pressure points that can be involved in client decisions, but the above account for the majority.  It is not enough to be at the top of the client’s mind today in order for you to secure new business.  When the client allows you to engage in conversation, it is important to know how these pressure points intersect with the services you are offering.

If you put all the pressure on the client’s vision, what happens to the other points?  You see the medical shows on television when someone is admitted into the emergency room with multiple wounds and the doctor is having trouble stopping all of the bleeding.  Most clients are like that patient.  They do not need a single tourniquet.  They need a skilled professional who understands the client’s history, passion, problems and challenges.  Someone who does not apply pressure to manipulate, but to help solve a problem.  The doctor understands that not all of the bleeding is critical to saving the person’s life, but does know where the critical areas are.  Do you know the critical pressure points of your clients?

If you have been the victim of stalling clients, you might simply need a quick strategy tune up.  The SMPS LinkedIn group had a discussion topic last week that asked the question about a process for moving a project forward.  The core of this question is really the focus of this message: How do you apply the correct pressure to the proper pressure points and move a potential project to your firm as a real project?  It is realy as easy as 1,2,3.

Business Development Professionals has a unique training program for firms seeking answers to this question.  The stalling client that was mentioned at the beginning of this post gave the project to my client last week.  With all the buzz about social media, new age marketing and relevant business development strategies, all business is still about people understanding the needs of people.  My approach is simple: Blend old school personal dynamics with social media and professional services pressure points.  The client tourniquet process is priceless. In one day you will change your approach to marketing and business development forever.   

The Multi-touch Approach to Selling Professional Services

There are many approaches to selling professional services. However, the nature of the business makes a first contact close nearly impossible. If selling the client on your next project requires a multi-touch process, what touches are most effective?  Some firms might not think of marketing and business development this way, but at the core it is.  I am not talking about traditional marketing where the firm promotes its unique value proposition, previous experience or specific expertise.  It is not simply being part of Twitter or LinkedIn either.  Although networking is an ingredient, it is not just participating in allied industry events that create the effective client touch.

Start with your next appointment to visit a client or prospective client.  This could be the first touch, if it is done properly.  The goal is to create demand for your services. The intent is not to sell a solution, but to have a 20-minute conversation.   Instead of focusing on an individual consider all of the buying influences—Technical, User, and Financial. This takes the same amount of time as traditional client meeting efforts, but is more productive because it generates results.  What we need to understand is that our clients are very busy and even if we craft the perfect pitch to an individual, it could be the wrong time, the wrong person, or even the wrong message. Uncovering a client's need in today’s hectic and busy world requires a different outlook and process. We need to switch from a hunting approach to a farming mentality.  When the economy was in full gear, the rifle approach worked because of all the low handing fruit.  Today, seeds need to be planted and watered in order for client growth to occur.

Time is the commodity your client is asked to give up.  Therefore, you need to separate selling the appointment from selling the solution.  Your goal is to be client-centric and provocative enough to receive a ‘yes’ for the first meeting. If the client gives up his and his leaders time, then your meeting has to be meaningful.  This is where you must switch gears from traditional marketing.  What do you know about this client? What do you know about the individuals you want at the meeting?  Preparation is key. Combine the answers to these questions with a tailored message.  Take the results of the first meeting to create a program of 6 to 9 additional touches. 

Social media and traditional marketing now come into play with tailored messages.  It can be a tweet of information to follow up the meeting, a LinkedIn message, email, letter or custom literature.  The process is intended to make the client more interested in using your firm than you are in selling them on the next project.  Cookie cutter marketing has no place in this process.  For example a press release sent to mass media can be tweaked to fit the needs of this client.  A project sheet can be altered to reflect the specific expertise your client will benefit from.  Create 3 x 5 cards with the client’s custom information to take with you to industry networking events.  After the small talk, point out that your firm has been taking action on the ideas presented at the last meeting.  Ask the client what he thinks about the information you are presenting.   Feedback has now put your client in the middle of the process.

You always want your firm to be at the top of the client’s mind.  The multi-touch process not only keeps you at the top of the client’s mind, but also positions you as the firm that understands their business needs.  This will get you to the meeting where solutions can be discussed.  Some firms might consider this a long journey for presenting a solution to a client.  However, you don’t want to present the client with just any solution.  If the solution comes before you know all of the needs, one of the decision makers will be able to shoot it down.  The journey also develops trust and allows you to learn more about the client as you move forward.  In fact, you might be surprised that as you near the 10^th touch, the client asks you for a meeting.  The journey that turns your firm into a client magnet is priceless.

www.businessdevelopmentpros.org

Did the Recession Change Your Marketing and Business Development Strategies?

Recession is the elephant in the room for many professional service firms.  While some have withstood the stormy blast of economic trials and uncertainty since 2008, many have not.  Layoffs in the industry have changed the face of companies across America.  Business plans and strategies have been modified, put on the back burner or tossed out.

Firms that took the road to lower fees without understanding the true value of their services are faced with more dramatic decisions as the economy improves.  Can they simply raise their fees to pre-recession rates without clients noticing?  Will firms that kept fees the same while concentrating on core services be able to once again expand services to meet growing market demands? Layoffs and unemployment in the industry have been at all time highs.

If you are familiar with the architecture firm, BLT, you know how they have survived.  A recent article in the Philadelphia Inquirer identified how this firm withstood the challenges of the past three years.  As the recession caused several major clients to cancel or put on hold major projects, the firm was forced to layoff valuable employees and close offices.  Despite the cutbacks, the firm hired a new marketing and business development manager who convinced them to move forward with an updated, relevant business plan.

Changes were made and they weathered the storm.  A couple of the projects that were put on hold have been brought back to life and the firm is on its way to positive growth.  The firm’s marketing decision helped, but more important to clients was the involvement of principals in project delivery.

Principal involvement is more than showing up at interviews to close the sale.  Principal involvement has to begin at marketing and business development and encompass all aspects of project delivery.  Management must not be simply a cheerleader for the sale, but be in the trenches when the idea of a project is hatched in the client’s mind.  There are many firms that follow this model.

Perhaps it is the elephant in the room that caused some to change focus.  When the economy was humming, management and principals were “too busy” to spend time on marketing.   When the low hanging fruit ceased to exist,  it was too difficult to switch gears and jump start the marketing and business development machine.  To make matters worse, many of these firms had been forced to lay off marketing and business development professionals.

If you live on the east coast, you felt an earthquake yesterday.  For professional services firms, this was similar to the feeling they felt three years ago when their markets started to collapse.  However, when you look around today, everyone is going about their business as if nothing happened yesterday.  The market earthquake is a different story, but will the recovery cause a "nothing seems to have happened" attitude in professional services firms?  Things are different.  Professional services firms, including architects, lawyers, CPAs and engineers are operating differently.

Only one question remains: What have you learned from the experience of the last three years?  BLT put the experience to use in building a stronger firm.  Others need the help of advisors, with specific emphasis on marketing and business development.  It is time, if it hasn’t already happened, to change the corporate culture to one of business development and marketing.  When the attitude is “ we are never too busy for marketing” and principals have the skill sets needed today to be business development advocates, then behaviors will change. 

If you have been thinking about how to take the first step on the next journey, simply taking the step is what you need to do.  Doing nothing only allows the elephant to keep wandering across your office floors.  Even baby steps are better than no steps at all.  Business Development Professionals has a lunch time program that centers staff on the corporate mission with emphasis on marketing and business development.  The 2012 marketing plans are starting to be developed.  "How to Create a Client-Centric Marketing Plan to Acquire, Retain and Grow Client Value" is a keynote presentation as well as a half-day workshop designed for professional services firms looking to improve the return on their marketing investments.  We offer a number of other customized programs to help firms of any size with their business development and marketing programs.  Finally, if now is not a good time for training and development, when will there be a good time?

When Your Only Marketing Tool is a Hammer

We have all heard the saying, “When the only tool in your tool bag is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.”  What does that mean to marketing professionals in the professional services industry?  We all have a tool kit and we are adding tools to it every day.   Do we have the right tools for every client opportunity?  Or does every client’s problem or opportunity look the same?

Social media alone has presented us with a myriad of new tools.  We have Twitter, Linked In, blogs, YouTube, and Facebook to name a few.  Each of these presents multiple tool options.  However, sometimes it is the tools that slow us down.  This is especially true of new tools.

Have you ever walked into the bay where the auto mechanic is working on your car?  Did you notice the tool chest that stands six feet high and about three feet wide?  You realize that all of those tools are needed for something.  Yet, in your hands they wouldn’t necessarily serve the purpose they were intended for.  However, for any problem, there is one tool that is more important than any other.  Consider  the engine analyzer that plugs into the car's computer system.  It checks for codes.  The codes tell the mechanic the source of the trouble.  Then he is able to open his tool kit and begin the process of repair. Your marketing plan is like the engine analyzer.  You diagnose the market and then reach for tools (tactics) to begin the process of securing new business.

If your marketing plan is the market analyzer and tactics connect you to clients, what tool secures the new business?     A single  tool  that will analyze the situation and point you in the direction of the proper tool sequencing  is an app that every marketing services professional is looking for. Have you seen one on your  IPhone or Android?   The core of the problem is the fact the clients are people not machines.  Each has business, personal, and emotional needs in every sales situation.   Our analysis is a combination of art and science.  It requires the  psychological, tactical and practical to be merged in order for a client strategy to become apparent.  The human nature of clients compels us to use multiple tools and out seasoned intuition.   In other words, marketing tools need to be combined with people skills. 

Sometimes this necessitates the use of old school tools before we unleash the latest tools available from social media.  A neurosurgeon needs a saw to open the skull before the patient can benefit from the high tech tools available in brain surgery.  Therefore, don’t abandon the traditional tools that have helped you move clients to use your firm in the past.  Networking, printed marketing materials, meetings, social outings, lunch, dinners, and media relations are just a few that come to mind.  I don’t need to remind the choir of the power of personal relationships.  For example, how many your 500 or so connections on LinkedIn have you taken to lunch or some other social event?

When professional service firms bash Twitter or LinkedIn because it isn’t working for them, I wonder how these tools fit into their total marketing strategy.  Are they trying to stay ahead of the curve and use the social media du jour at the expense of all their other tools?  When a carpenter only has a hammer, but his need is for a screwdriver, the hammer is not an effective tool.  Although it can still produce limited results, the screw is usually bent in the process.  Has your firm done the same thing with social media? Are you bending clients or your markets instead of building them up.

Solomon in the old testament claims, “there is nothing new under the sun.”  It was a valid perception then and it is today in relation to marketing professional services.  Although technology has advanced and the inventions of man would seem to discredit the claim, for the basics of life there is nothing new under the sun.  People (clients) want to be recognized and buy from people they trust.  Trust is the cement that binds together the multiple compartments of every relationship.  Therefore, the social media and traditional marketing compartments will not effectively work together to bring you new business until you have the client’s trust that binds everything together.  Consequently, sometimes the best tool in your marketing tool kit is a handshake, hug or compliment  that brings you closer to your client. Floor seats at a Laker’s  game next to Jack Nicolson wouldn’t be bad either.

 I appreciate feedback on all of my blogs and welcome a conversation to begin a working relationship with professional services firms and individuals seeking advice or counsel on marketing and business development.  Reach me at trystanderson@businessdevelopmentpros.org

Why Competitors Can Help You Build Business

What do you think of your competitors?  Do you view them as the bottom feeders who take clients and business away from you?  Are they worthy adversaries who bring value to the clients they serve?  In the professional services industry, the general picture of competitors looks like a battlefield with winners and losers.  We are either the victors or the defeated.  This picture is one reason business developers in professional services firms read The Art of War.

Therefore, why have I implied in the title that competitors can help us build business?   First, we have to step back from competitor as enemy attitude.  Any strategic sales process will include an analysis of competitors. The analysis usually tends to focus on positioning.  How are your competitors positioned with the client you are pursuing?  Do you know their strengths and weaknesses?  How do these compare with the strengths and weaknesses of your firm?  The analysis is one piece of the strategic sales process.  However, this is not the basis for how competitors can help you build business. It is more than positioning.

Since competitors offer similar services and seek the same clients, you can use them as a form of “inside the box” market research.  Smart business developers will use the homework done by their competitors to strengthen client relationships.  It is always harder to reinvent the wheel then it is to borrow the wheels from another car. Sometimes your competitors have pretty nice wheels.

If you are clear about your brand, your services and service delivery, you might want to consider competitors as partners in certain situations.  If you are already the biggest dog in the dog pound, you might not be worried about a larger entrant into your marketplace.  Size, strength and limited service offerings might be reasons to team with a competitor.  In addition, competitors might be different in specific markets and client groups.  When a project comes along which requires some services you don’t provide, but are provided by a competitor, it might be time to start a conversation.   Enjoying success in a new market where you have failed in the past is a good reason for talking with a competitor.  Of course, your firm must first get past the fear of helping a competitor gain ground with your existing clients or in established markets.  The partnership has to be a win-win for all parties, including your client.  After all, we have heard the story about the snake that asked the frog to help him cross the river.  Yes, some competitors will  bite you after you have helped them cross the river.  This part of the process is about being selective and having done your homework.

Vision is another reason for using competitors to strengthen client relationships and build business.  Are there any blind spots in your client strategy?  Everyone has blind spots.  However, your blind spots might not be the same as your competitors. Your competitors might have an understanding of your clients that you have not considered.  Maybe it has something to do with values or preferences that you have not considered.  Think of it as a zero-based review of their marketing and service offerings.  Careful research is required to know these things.  You can use your clients and your competitor’s clients to gather this information.  A client focus group administered by an independent marketing agency could also help.  Gather your top clients and prospects together to discuss their feelings, perceptions and experience using the professional services in your industry.  During the course of the discussions, specific competitors, their brands, services, marketing and delivery will be examined.   Finding out what your clients want in their professional service firm is priceless.  Bottom line: You need your competitors to expand your vision.

Finally, I am not suggesting you create a cozy relationship with your competitors.  What I am suggesting is that the more you know about your competitors, the better you will be able to serve your clients.  Sun Tsu knew this was the best strategy for winning a war.  Today, it is the best strategy for winning more business.