eTips 2002
Keys to differentiation |
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We all know how difficult it can be to differentiate ourselves from our (often very) successful competitors. However, differentiation is critical to a winning proposal - without it, you will simply be "one of the pack. |
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Solving service gaps |
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If there's a gap between your perception about what clients want and their expectations, try: |
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Quality - what it means to clients |
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Depth research we've conducted with more than three hundred commercial and corporate clients of Australian and NZ law firms delivers clear messages about what quality means to them. For all that law firms may talk about quality, and even seek formal ISO quality accreditation, it's the client or end-user definition of quality which really matters. |
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What clients want most |
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I could write thousands of words on this subject. However, fundamentally, what clients want is : |
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Waving polite goodbyes |
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Often, we spend so much time at winning work that we don't take time to think about whether we have clients who should be waved a "polite goodbye". |
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Eliminate negative messages |
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Are you sending unintended negative messages like these ? |
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Do your homework before first encounters |
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If you don't want to squander great business development opportunities with new clients, do your homework before first encounters: |
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Key questions for engagement time |
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How you handle engagement meetings sets the tone for the whole relationship. |
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Is this a client I really want ? |
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Every so often, take stock of your client base and work out whether it's still right for you and your firm. |
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Evaluating marketing training |
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Are you sending unintended negative messages like these ? |
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Client relationship marketing |
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Use this checklist to assess the stage you're at in the client relationship marketing continuum. |
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The big questions |
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Effective business development is about far more than getting work. It's about getting the right opportunities to service and satisfy the right clients. |
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Successful presentations |
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Sometimes nerve-wracking and mostly requiring a fair amount of effort and preparation, presentations are not the easiest thing in the world for everyone. But, these proven techniques - open secrets - will make a positive difference. Make your next presentation more effective by taking this advice. |
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Get ready for chance encounters |
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Great business developers always seem to have the happy knack of making the most of chance encounters. You can improve your confidence and success by having a few well-thought through opening lines at the ready. Think of these opening lines as "personal professional positioning statements" - the way you'd like to be thought of. |
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Professional turnover |
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This week, we deal with the thorny problem of breaking news to clients when their lawyer/service professional is about to leave. |
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Power in your presentations |
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Research has shown that presentations which audiences regard as "powerful" have these three key ingredients: |
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Expanding client accounts |
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How well do you rate on these important elements of expanding client accounts ? |
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Insure client relationships by institutionalising them |
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"Risk happy" is the only way to describe the many law firms and other professional service providers who allow - and even encourage - a single lawyer or professional to "own" the relationship with a key client. |
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Doing well in difficult times |
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Good business developers are separated from great business developers by what happens when they encounter difficulties. |
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Active listening skills |
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Most of us think we have great listening skills. In the business development context, active listening means listening through the ears of your client or prospective client. Listen to what they're saying, and listen hard for why they're saying it. |
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Why clients seek competitve bids |
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There are myriad reasons for clients seeking competitive bids, proposals, or tenders. And not all of the reasons are negative for professional service providers. |
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Preparing for first meetings |
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Ever taken stock of how many business development opportunities you've squandered through inadequate preparation ? |
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Making great marketing decisions |
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Like so much in life, success in marketing is largely about making good decisions. |
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Case studies - using them to improve your tender or proposal |
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Well-devised case studies in tenders or proposals can be compelling. |
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Sales skills |
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Organised marketing is still relatively new to Australian professional service firms. There is growing recognition that you simply can't leave it to the marketing manager. |
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Leveraging network contacts |
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Have you every faced a scenario like this ? |
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Succesfully launch your new service |
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Every year, a multitude of new professional service products or packages are developed and launched, often at great cost. But few make the hit their owners and promoters expect. |
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Compete for clients by selling |
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Professional practices are often puzzled by increasing client defections. Our research findings demonstrate that clients now forsake their traditional service providers as a result of focused, organised, and diligent efforts by other firms to woo and win their business. |
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Your tenders and proposals library |
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To win the face of growing competition, it's best to be prepared. A good starting point is assembling - in one place - a repository of resource materials. |
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Making the right impression and establishing credibility |
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First impressions do count. No matter how competent a professional, you may not get the chance to show what you're made of unless you get through the critical first five minutes of contact with flying colours. |
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Business development skills improvement |
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Here are some key skill areas for effective business development in the professional services area. |
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