Selling professional services is not a numbers game
“Get out there – make as many contacts as you can – follow them all up – don’t give up on any of them – network like crazy – the more contacts you make the better your chance of getting new business.” This is not sage advice for selling more of your expert professional services. […]
Continue ReadingBe marketing minded
Being marketing minded means investing energy and a small amount of time in doing the “little extras” which, over the long run: increase client satisfaction encourage more work yield referrals cement valuable and satisfying relationships. Here are a few ideas to get you started: You’ve just concluded a major project, transaction, or case… immediately send […]
Continue ReadingPre-proposal due diligence
Those who’ve done it know well that while tenders, bids, and competitive proposals are great ways to win work, it’s easy to squander precious time and money on bids with limited prospects of success. Here’s a simple framework for pre-proposal due diligence which our consultants find helpful in guiding professional service firm clients to correct […]
Continue ReadingPossible key selling arguments
Sorting through what’s important to your prospective client and determining what will differentiate you from your competitors can be a daunting task. In hard-fought competitions, how we deal with even minor issues can make the critical difference between winning, and losing. This list is a useful starting point in determining how best to position your […]
Continue Reading13 support staff strategies to maintain client satisfaction
The vital role your support staff play in client satisfaction is often overlooked. However a client’s experience at reception, or their first phone call to your firm can colour every other interaction – for better or worse. Here are 13 quick tips your support staff can use to represent your firm even better. Represent clients […]
Continue ReadingMarketing minutes
Many lawyers and expert professionals juggling lots of competing tasks struggle to allocate significant chunks of time to business development as often as they’d like. But all of us – no matter how busy – can take “marketing minutes” just about every day. One marketing minute drop a brief note to a client thanking them […]
Continue ReadingCultivating gravitas
While some lawyers and professionals just have gravitas, others struggle to find it, and a whole lot simply don’t realise they lack it. Professionals who exude gravitas: speak with authority and have that authority accepted are quietly confident apparently naturally command are accorded high status in a room have others take notice of their views […]
Continue ReadingCase studies – using them to improve your tender or proposal
Well-devised case studies in tenders or proposals can be compelling. Case studies, in this context, mean write-ups (in a journalistic or “article” style) of individual cases or circumstances which demonstrate: your distinctive expertise your understanding of the client’s industry and business challenges your appreciation of the special requirements, preferences, and culture of your prospective client […]
Continue ReadingMeasuring business development success
Too often, the “highs” generated by recent wins can over-shadow the facts when it comes to evaluating the success of business development initiatives. It’s a great idea to develop some formal metrics for measuring business development success. Tracking these will be useful: number of proposals to established clients number of proposals to established clients for areas beyond […]
Continue ReadingBusiness development forecasting
Forecasting business development outcomes – wins – is an important and valuable element of successful professional services selling. But forecasting is tough. So often it’s about identifying multiple uncertainty factors, and estimating the impact of each, plus making judgements about options to influence outcomes. Good forecasting of sales lets us (and others around us) plan. […]
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Feature article
Tender writing tips – Nothing is so complex that it cannot be explained simply
Remember, nothing is so complex that it cannot be explained simply Albert Einstein was spot-on when he said “nothing is so complex that it cannot be explained simply”. Tenders, bids, proposals, and informal pitches for business are not times to show how clever and capable you are by using legalese (I’m looking at you lawyers), […]
