Five strategies to acquire new ideal clients in a tough economy
-
Upload
guy-fleming -
Category
Business
-
view
2.374 -
download
0
description
Transcript of Five strategies to acquire new ideal clients in a tough economy
FIVE STRATEGIESTO ACQUIRE
NEW IDEAL CLIENTS
IN A TOUGH ECONOMY
PLAN. BRAND. EXPAND.
Introduction 3
Strategy1:BuildOrUpdateYourIdealClientProfile 6
Strategy2:AnalyzeYourExistingMessagesAndPromises 11
Strategy3:IdentifyGapsWhereChangesShouldBeMade 17
Strategy4:BuildAClientAcquisitionPlan 24
Strategy5:ExecuteTheStrategyAndTrackResults 29
Conclusion 31
AboutTheShattuckGroup 32
AboutTheAuthor 34
Table of Contents
FiveStrategiesToAcquireNewIdealClientsInAToughEconomy
2
Five Strategies To Acquire New Ideal Clients In A Tough Economy
ByRandyShattuck,CEO,TheShattuckGroup
©Copyright2009,TheShattuckGroup.Allrightsreserved.
TERMS & CONDITIONSAllcontentcontainedinthisdocumentistheintellectualpropertyofTheShattuckGroup.Byusingthisdocument,youagreetothefollowingtermsandconditions.1.Youmaydownload,print,andcopythisworkbookonetimeforyourpersonaluseprovidedthatyouretainallcopyrightnoticesanddonotmodifytheworkbookinanyway.2.Thisworkbookisprovided“asis”withoutanywarrantiesofanykindwhatsoever,includingwarrantiesoftitleorfitnessforaparticularpurpose.TheShattuckGroupmakesnowarrantiesofanyresultsthatmaybeobtainedfromtheuseofthisworkbook.3.InnoeventwillTheShattuckGroup,RandyShattuck,oranyofficers,employees,oragentsofTheShattuckGroupbeliableforanyindirect,consequential,special,incidental,orpunitivedamagesfromtheuseofthisworkbook.
Ifyoucannotabidebythesetermsandconditionsthanyouagreeto,andareherebychargedwith,destroyingallcopies,bothelectronicandphysical,ofthisworkbook.
FiveStrategiesToAcquireNewIdealClientsInAToughEconomy
3
Neverbeforehavewe,atTheShattuckGroup,witnessedsomuchinterestamongprofessionalservices(PS)firmsinacquir-ingnewclients.Asweallgrapplewiththeworstrecessionthattoday’sworkingadultshaveeverseen,ahungerforclientacqui-sitiongrowstoalmostdesperateproportions.
Thishungerputsmanyfirmsatriskofmakingpoordecisions.
Introduction
Infact,TheShattuckGroupconductedmarketresearchwithmorethan200PSexecutivesinearly2009.Weaskedthoseexecutivestoidentifyprioritiesamongawiderangeoftopicsthatwereofimportancetothem.Theresults?
“Acquiringnewclients”wasthenum-beroneconcernoftheseexecutives,with77.3%reportingthatthiswas“veryimportant”tothemand17.7%statingthatitwas“important.”
“Retainingexistingclients”wasthenumbertwoconcernoftheseexecu-tives,with70.6%reportingthatthiswas“veryimportant”tothemand22.3%statingthatitwas“important.”
Theirnumberthreeconcern,notsur-prisingly,was“generatingleads,”with66.5%reportingthatthiswas“veryimportant”tothemand23.9%statingthatitwas“important.”
Nowyoumightbewonderingwhythesestatisticsaresignificantenoughtowarrantbeingonpagethreeofthisdocument.Therearetworeasons.
First,ifyouexaminehowthesecon-cernsranknexttootherlegitimateconcerns,thereisasizablegapbe-tweenthem.Topicssuchas“develop-ingeffectivemarketingplans,upgrad-ingbrandidentity,differentiatingfromcompetitors,increasingbrandaware-ness,conductingresearch,productizingservices,andpricingservicesappro-priately”wererankedasmuchas50%lowerinimportancecomparedtotheclient-revenue-orientedconcerns.
Second,ifyoucomparethissurveytoprevioussurveysaboutthesesametop-ics,thereisfarlessdistancebetweentheclient-revenue-orientedconcernsandtheotherconcerns.Thissuggestsadramaticshiftinmentalityandpriori-ties,ashiftwhichmayhaveunhealthyconsequences.
Analysis
Whatdothesestatisticstellus?Wethinktherearethreeobservationsofcriticalimportancehere.
1. PSexecutivesareundertremen-douspressuretogeneratenewrev-enue.Unfortunately,humanbeingsarepronetomakehastydecisionsthatmaynotbeintheirlong-termbestinterestwhenfacingtheseconditions.
2. Weareconcernedthatexecutivesareobfuscating“revenuegenera-tion”and“clientacquisition.”Tous,thetwoarenotoneandthesame.Newclientsoftencomewithhighriskandmaynotremaingoodclientsovertime.Newclientsarefarmorelikely,inourexperience,tonegativelyimpactprofitabilityandcreatemanagementheadaches.Moreoftenthannot,existingclientsarethebestsourceofquicknewrevenue.WhileclientretentionwasatopconcernofPSexecutives,thetechniquesthatempowerfirmstogrowrevenuesfromexistingclients(researchandproductizingservices)wereatthebottomofthelistofpriorities.
3. Whileacquiringnewclientsandretainingexistingclientswereoftopimportance,thetechniquesthatmakethesegoalspossiblewereoflowestimportance.ThisagainsuggeststhatPSexecutivesarenotthinkingentirelyclearlyinthesestressfultimes.Inourexperience,
conductingmarketresearchtobet-terunderstandidealclients(only22.3%rankedthisasveryimpor-tant)andproductizingservices(only17%rankedthisasveryimportant)aretwooftheverybestwaystoimpactrevenuequickly.Agreatnewidea,packagedupandreadytoselltoafriendlyexistingclient,canhaveahugeimpactonquarterlyearningsreports.
A Big Mistake
ButourbiggestconcerntodayisthatPSexecutivesaremovingstraighttotacticswithoutunderstandinghowandwhythosetacticswilldelivertherev-enueresultstheyseek.Itseemsalmostasiftheyreadaboutanewtacticthatamarketinggururecommendsandtheyareonlytooeagertotryit.
Webelievethisdistractsfromsoundstrategyandamethodicalapproachtotouchingthemarketandgaininggreat-ermarketshare.
Executiveswhofailtoputstrategyinfrontoftacticswillsoonfindthem-selveswithalotofactivitybutnottheresultstheywerehopingfor.
FiveStrategiesToAcquireNewIdealClientsInAToughEconomy
4
How To Use This Workbook
Theremainderofthisworkbookad-dressestheseobservationsbyofferinganalternativeapproachtoclientac-quisitionandrevenuegenerationthatisthoughtful,basedonbest-practices,andthathasproventobehighlysuc-cessfulforTheShattuckGroupandourclientsovertime.
Itisoursensethattherehasneverbeenabettertimetobeinprofessionalservices.Whilebudgetsaretightandclientsandprospectsscrutinizeeveryprojectforvalue,therehaveneverbeenmorebuyersofprofessionalser-
viceswhoarethisopentonewpro-viders.Traditionalloyaltiesbetweenbuyersandsellershavebeenshat-tered,openingthedoortonewfirmsandnewideas.
Theremainderofthisworkbookshowsyoustep-by-stephowtoexploitthesenewopportunitiesandeffectivelygrabmarketshare.Eachchapterinthisworkbookiscomprisedofaconceptandanexercise.Theconceptwillex-plainwhatyoucandotoacquirenewidealclientsandtheexercisewillaskyoutoputtheideaintoactionforyourfirm.Readytogetstarted?
FiveStrategiesToAcquireNewIdealClientsInAToughEconomy
5
N = 199 Professional Services Executives.
Acquiring New Clients
Retaining Existing Clients
Generating Leads
1.0% 4.0% 17.7% 77.3%
2.5% 4.6% 22.3% 70.6%
1.5% 8.1% 23.9% 66.5%
Source: Professional Services Journal and The Shattuck Group study of 207 professional services leaders. 2009.
PS Executives’ Top Three Concerns
Not Important
SomewhatImportant
VeryImportant Important
FiveStrategiesToAcquireNewIdealClientsInAToughEconomy
6
Everyprofessionalservices(PS)firmhasidealclients-thetypeofclientthatyouarebestsuitedtoserve.WhenPSfirmsserveidealclientseffectively,everythingelsefallsintoplace.ButuntilPSfirmsdiscoverwhotheiridealclientisandthebestwaytoservethem,theyoftenstruggle.
Thegoalofthisstrategyistohelpyoudiscoverorupdateyouridealclientprofile.
Strategy 1: Build Or Update Your Ideal Client Profile
Ideal Clients Defined
Anidealclientisabusinessthatyourfirmisbestsuitedtoserve.TherearesevenmajorqualitiesthatmostPSfirmslookforinanidealclient:
1. Impact–youdeliverservicesthathaveasignificantimpactontheirbusiness,usuallytheirtoporbot-tomlineorboth.
2. Budget–idealclientseasilyaffordyourservicesandusuallyhavealreadyreservedalineitemintheirannualbudgetforthoseservices.
3. Profits–youearnasubstantialprofitbydeliveringtheseservices.
4. Insights–youunderstandwhatyouridealclientneedsoftenbetterthantheydo.
5. Expertise–youridealclientswantandneedyourspecificcapabilitiesandhavelimitedoptionsforacquir-ingthatexpertise.
6. Culture–thereisagoodfitbetweenthewayyoudobusinessandthe
wayyouridealclientsprefertobeserved.
7. Chemistry–yourstaffandyouridealclients’staffworkwelltogeth-erwithfewconflicts.
WhenPSfirmshaveanabundanceofthesetypesofclients,theyfindthem-selvesintheenviablepositionofreal-izingsevenmajorbenefits:
1. Revenue–theyhavealloftherev-enuetheyneedtorewardemploy-eesandstakeholders.
2. Profitability–theirdealsarecon-sistentlyprofitableatlevelsthatexceedindustryaveragesandfueltheireconomicengine.
3. Growth–theyconsistentlygrowataratethatmeetstheexpectationsofstakeholders.
4. Loyalty–bothemployeesandclientsfeelastrongsenseofaffin-ityforthefirmandwanttoseeitdowellovertime.
5. Satisfaction–employeesfindtheir
FiveStrategiesToAcquireNewIdealClientsInAToughEconomy
7
workfulfillingandenjoyable.Cli-entsrealizeresultsthatmeetorexceedtheirexpectations.
6. Commitment–employeesdevotethemselvestosupportingclientsandgivingtheirbestefforts.
7. Vision–executivesandstakehold-erstakealong-termviewandinvestininitiativesthatenablethefirmtoachieveitsfullpotential.
Howcanyourfirmacquireidealclientsandrealizethesebenefits?Youbuildanidealclientprofileforeveryserviceyouoffer.Anidealclientprofileisalistofattributesacrossthefollowingpa-rameters:
• Demographicfactors• Decision-makers&influencers• Keyconcernsofthosedecision-
makersandinfluencers• Goalstheywanttoachieve
Thevalueofbuildinganidealclientprofileisthatithelpsyouseeclearlywhomyouareseekingtoserve,chal-lengesyouwillhelpthemovercomeandopportunitiesyouwillhelpthemexploit,andresultstheywanttorealizefromassociatingwithyourfirm.Thisprofilecanandshouldbesharedwitheveryoneinsideyourorganizationtoensureyouareallunitedinyourvisionandgoals.
Pleasenotethatyourfirmmayhaveseveralidealclients,oneforeachser-viceyouoffer.Youwillrealizetremen-dousbenefitsandfocusbybuildinganidealclientprofileforeachofyourservices.Todothis,pickanimportantserviceandcompletetheexerciseformbelow.Youcanrepeatthisexerciseforeveryserviceyouoffer.
Ifyoucannotcompletethefollowingexercisewithahighdegreeofconfi-dencethatyouranswersareaccurateandrepresentativeoftheidealbuyerofthatservice,youshouldseriouslycon-siderconductingmarketresearch.Tolearnmoreabouthowtodothis,pleasevisitwww.theshattuckgroup.comandclickonOurServices.
FiveStrategiesToAcquireNewIdealClientsInAToughEconomy
8
Strategy 1 Exercise: Build Or Update Your Ideal Client Profile
Pickoneimportantserviceyouofferandcompletetheexercisebelowabouttheidealclientforthatservice.Repeatthisexerciseforeachserviceyouoffer.
Demographic Factors
Industry:
Broadindustry
Sub-industry
Geography
Companysize:
Employeecount
Annualrevenue
Decision Makers & Influencers:
Majorresponsibilities
Departments
Titles
FiveStrategiesToAcquireNewIdealClientsInAToughEconomy
9
Tenurewithcompany
Psychographicdata:
Agerange
Education
Gender
Key Concerns
Challenges:(whatkeepsthemupatnightworrying?)
Challenge1
Challenge2
Challenge3
Opportunities:(whattheydreamofaccomplishing?)
Opportunity1
Opportunity2
Opportunity3
FiveStrategiesToAcquireNewIdealClientsInAToughEconomy
10
Goals They Want To Achieve
Goal1
Goal2
Goal3
Goal4
Goal5
FiveStrategiesToAcquireNewIdealClientsInAToughEconomy
11
ManyPSpeoplebelievethatwhattheydoisaboutexpertise,credibility,andcapability.Whilethismaybetrue,itisnotthereasonthatclientsbuy.Clientsbuybecausetheybelieveinapromise.Infact,thefundamentalnatureofsellingprofessionalservicesis–inaword–promise.AsPSpeople,wepromisetohelpourclientsgofromwheretheyarenowtowheretheywanttobeinthefuture.
Thegoalofthisstrategyistohelpyouanalyzetheefficacyofthepromisesyoumaketoyourmarket.
Strategy 2: Analyze Your Existing Promises
Your PromisesWhatpromisesareyoumakingtoyourclients,prospects,andthemarketatlarge?Toanswerthisquestion,youneedtolookatyourmessages.Let’spickoneservicethatyouoffer,saythemostpopularormaybethemostprofit-ableserviceyouoffer,andlet’sexam-ineitingreaterdetail.Mostofthetime,promisesaremadethroughbrochures,webpages,presen-tations,webinars,andothertypesofmarketingmaterials.Gatherthosema-terialstogetherinonelocationandlaythemoutonatable.Haveahighlighterhandy.Whatdoyousee?
An Objective LookIfyourfirmislikemost,you’llseein-consistenciesofseveralkinds:
• Identity–thisisprobablythemostobviousone.Manyfirmsstruggletokeeptheiridentityconsistentacrossallpointsofexposuretothemarket.Butthisistheleastlikelyareatonegativelyimpactclientacquisition.
• ValueProposition–isyourvaluepropositionconsistentfromonedocumenttothenext?Isitclearly,simply,andelegantlyarticulatedsothatitstandsout?Canaclientlookatadocumentandknowwithinsecondswhytheyshouldbuythisservice?
FiveStrategiesToAcquireNewIdealClientsInAToughEconomy
12
• Results–doyoupromisetodeliverspecificresultsoroutcomesfromyourserviceandifsowhatarethey?Aretheseresultsconsistentlystatedfromonedocumenttothenext?Morethanjustdeliverables,resultsaretheimpactofthedeliv-erablesonyourclient’sbusiness.Resultsaretypicallytiedtospecific,quantifiableoutcomesfromyourservice.
• Benefits–whatbenefitswillclientsrealizefromtheservice?Whilere-sultsarespecifictobusinessdriversofaquantifiablenature,benefitsaremoresubjectivebutequallyimpor-tant.Benefitsarethepsychologicalrewardsofhavingachievedcertainresults.
• Deliverables–doyouconsistentlyoutlinethedeliverablesfromyourservice?Doclientsandprospectsunderstandthetangibleitemsthattheywilltakepossessionofasyoudeliverservices?
Itisimportanttoexamineyoursalesandmarketingmaterialsfromadisin-terestedperspective.Ifyoudonotfeelconfidentthatyoucandothisonyourown,werecommendthatyouhireanoutsidefirmorfindafriendorcol-leaguetodothisonyourbehalf.
FiveStrategiesToAcquireNewIdealClientsInAToughEconomy
13
Strategy 2 Exercise: Analyze Your Existing Promises
Pickonemajorserviceyouoffer,preferablyapopularorhighlyprofitableservice,andcompletetheexercisebelowforthatservice.
Promises Made To Clients
Valueproposition:
Results
Result1
Result2
FiveStrategiesToAcquireNewIdealClientsInAToughEconomy
14
Result3
Result4
Result5
Benefits:
Benefit1
Benefit2
FiveStrategiesToAcquireNewIdealClientsInAToughEconomy
15
Benefit3
Benefit4
Benefit5
Deliverables:
Deliverable1
FiveStrategiesToAcquireNewIdealClientsInAToughEconomy
16
Deliverable2
Deliverable3
Deliverable4
Deliverable5
FiveStrategiesToAcquireNewIdealClientsInAToughEconomy
17
WhenPSfirmstruggletoclosedeals,thereisoftenaproblemwiththeirpromises.Ifidealclientsdeeplydesiretheresultsyoucandeliver,haveadequatebudget,andhaveabusinessreasontotakeaction,moreoftenthannotyou’llwintheirbusiness.Butwhengapsexistbetweenidealclient’sgoalsandyourpromises,closeratessuffer.Thegoalofthisstrategyistoidentifygapsbetweenidealclients’desiresandyourpromisesandcreatestrategiestoclosethosegaps.
Strategy 3: Identify Gaps Where You Should Make Changes
Discover The Disconnect Onceyou’vebuiltyouridealclientpro-fileandanalyzedanimportantservice,youareinagoodpositiontocomparethetwo.Thisisapowerfulexercisethatwillclearlydemonstratewhereyouneedtomakechangestoyourmes-sagessotheybecomemorepersuasiveandyouwinmoredealsandincreaseprofits.ItisoftenatthispointinthisprocessthatPSexecutivesbegintomakethefollowingobservations:
• TruthInAdvertising–somePSexecutivesbecomeconcernedthatthisexerciseisleadingthemtoapointwheretheysimplytellclients
andprospectwhattheywanttohearratherthanmakingsubstantivechangestowhataPSfirmactuallydoes.Restassured,thisexerciseisnotheadinginthatdirection.Youhavetounderstandwherethegapsliebeforeyoucreateaplantoad-dressthem.
• ThisIsALotOfWork–yesitis.Thisstrategywillcallfornotonlychangestothewayyoupackageandpresentyourservices,butalsochangestotheactualservicesanddeliverablesthemselves.Makenomistakeaboutit.
• ACrossroads–thisisthemomentwhereyougettoseewhatthemarketwants,whattheycareabout,andhowyoustackupagainstthosedesires.Nowyouhaveadecision
FiveStrategiesToAcquireNewIdealClientsInAToughEconomy
18
tomake.Willyouputtheworkintore-positioningyourservicesandsalesandmarketingmessages?Isitreallyworththeeffort?Onlyyoucananswerthisquestion.
Steps To SuccessBeginthisexercisebylistingthekeyconcernsandresultsthatidealclientscareaboutdeeply.Thenlisttheprom-isesfromyourservice.Analyzethetwoandthenrecordthemajorgapsthatyousee.Rankeachgapinorderofimportance.Somecriteriafordecidingthesignificanceofthegapcaninclude:
• Expectations–doidealclientsex-pectationssosignificantlyoutweighyourabilitytodeliverthatitisnotworthittotrytoaddressthoseex-pectations?
• Profitability–doidealclientex-pectationsdramaticallyexceedthepricetheyarewillingtopay,nega-tivelyimpactingprofitabilityandmakingchangestoyourserviceunattractivetoyou?
• Messaging–canyousubstantiallyimprovethepositioningofyourservicesimplybychangingyourmessagingandpromises?Thisisanidealsituationbecauseitwillincreasetheattractivenessoftheserviceandallowyoutochargemoreforit–allwithoutimpactingyourcostofoperationsandprofit-ability.
• Adjustments–canyoumakeafewminorupgradestodeliverables,yourmethodology,orotheropera-tionalcomponentsandthenre-packagetheservicetomakeitmoreattractivetoidealclients?Thisisalsoaverydesirablesituationbecauseitempowersyoutochargemorewithonlyminordecreasestoprofitability.
Finally,listsomestrategiesforhowyouwillclosethegapbetweenidealclients’keyconcernsanddesiredresultsandyourservice’spromises.Somecriteriafordefiningstrategiestoclosethegapscaninclude:
• Impact–howmuchmoreattractivecanyoumaketheservicebyclosingthegaps?
• Revenue–howmuchmorerevenuecanyougeneratebyclosingthegaps?
• ClientAcquisition–howmanymorenewclientscanyouacquirebyclos-ingthegap?
• HardCosts–howmuchwillitcostyou,intermsofcollateralre-printsandotherhardcosts,tocompletethiswork?
• OpportunityCosts–ifyouchoosenottoclosethegaps,whatopportu-nitiesmightyoumiss?
FiveStrategiesToAcquireNewIdealClientsInAToughEconomy
19
Strategy 3 Exercise: Identify Gaps Where You Should Make Changes
Comparetheidealclientprofileandthepromisesofyourservicebycompletingtheexercisebelow.Useabbreviatedstatementsfortheworkyou’vecompletedthusfar.
Ideal Client Profile
Key Concerns
Challenges:(whatkeepsthemupatnightworrying?)
Challenge1
Challenge2
Challenge3
Opportunities:(whatdotheydreamofaccomplishing?)
Opportunity1
Opportunity2
Opportunity3
Goals They Want To Achieve:
Goal1
FiveStrategiesToAcquireNewIdealClientsInAToughEconomy
20
Goal2
Goal3
Goal4
Goal5
Your Service Profile
Promises Made To Clients
ValueProposition
Results
Result1
Result2
Result3
Result4
Result5
FiveStrategiesToAcquireNewIdealClientsInAToughEconomy
21
Benefits
Benefit1
Benefit2
Benefit3
Benefit4
Benefit5
Deliverables
Deliverable1
Deliverable2
Deliverable3
Deliverable4
Deliverable5
FiveStrategiesToAcquireNewIdealClientsInAToughEconomy
22
Gaps Between Ideal Clients’ Key Concerns And Desired
Results And Your Service’s Promises
Gap1
Gap2
Gap3
Gap4
Gap5
FiveStrategiesToAcquireNewIdealClientsInAToughEconomy
23
Strategies To Close The Gaps Between Ideal Clients’ Key Concerns And Desired Results And Your Service’s
Promises
Strategy1
Strategy2
Strategy3
Strategy4
Strategy5
FiveStrategiesToAcquireNewIdealClientsInAToughEconomy
24
Earlierwenotedtheinherentdangerofputtingtacticsinfrontofstrategy.ToooftenweseePSexecutivesmappingoutatwelve-monthplanonaspreadsheetandinsertingactivities,likewebi-nars,emails,andothertactics.Sometimesitseemstheactualcontentoftheseactivitiesisalmostanafter-thought.Intheend,youdowanttohaveagoodplanlaidoutlogicallyinaspread-sheet,butthisisnottheplacetostart.Pullmarketing,bycom-parison,beginswiththemessageandemphasizesthereasonsthemarketshouldpayattentiontoyourfirm.Thegoalofthisstrategyistohelpyoudevelopahighlyeffectiveclientacquisitionplanbasedonpull-marketingconcepts.
Strategy 4: Build A Client Acquisition Plan Based On A Pull Strategy
Pull Marketing Defined Pullmarketingdrawsidealclientsintoyourbrandbygivingthemcontentandideasthataremeaningfultothem,causingthemtowanttoreachouttoyou.Itispredicatedonthenotionthatidealclientsarealreadyincrediblybusyandonlyifyouprovidethemsome-thingofvalue,usuallyforfree,willtheypayattentiontoyou.
Pushmarketing,ontheotherhand,ispredicatedonthenotionthatifyoutellyourtargetaudiencewhoyouare,whatyoudo,andwhytheyshoulddobusi-nesswithyou-andtellthemrepeat-edly-theywilllistenandeventuallydo
businesswithyou.Oneofthebestexamplesofpullmar-ketingisthoughtleadership.Weoftensaythatifyoutellclientshowtosolvetheirmostpressingproblems,theywillpayattentionandbegintoconceiveofyouasasourceofsolutions.Thisisanexcellentstartingpointforbuildingaclientrelationship.Sohowcanyoudothis?
Begin With The End In Mind Aneffectivepullmarketingstrategyfocusesaroundjustafewkeythemesdividedupintospecificmessagesdeliveredacrossahandfulofcam-
FiveStrategiesToAcquireNewIdealClientsInAToughEconomy
25
paigns.Thinkofthisasyoureditorialcalendar,thekindthattradepublica-tionsuse.Tobuildahighlyeffectivepullmarket-ingstrategy,youneedtwothings:greatcontentandacampaignplan.Hereareafewsuggestionsforbuildingsolidcontentandaneditorialcalendar:
• UtilizeTheConcernsNotedFromYourIdealClientProfile–ifitmat-terstoidealclientsitshouldmattertoyou.Selectthetopthreeidealclientconcernsandcreateanedito-rialcalendarwhereyouplanout10-12messagesthataddresstheseconcerns.
• TellYourMarketHowToSolveTheirMostPressingProblems–ev-eryidealclienthasgoalstheywanttoaccomplish.Youdrawthemintoyourbrandwhenyoutellthemhowtoaccomplishthosegoals.Andre-member,justbecauseyoutellthemhowtosolvetheirgreatestchalleng-es,thatdoesn’tmeantheycanorwilldoitindependentlyofyou.Butifyoushowthemyouknowhowtoaccomplishgoalsthattheycareaboutdeeply,theywillbefarmorelikelytocontactyouthanacompeti-torwhenthetimeisright.
• ProvideInsightsThatComeDirectlyFromYourExperiences–partofthegoalofthisexerciseistopositionyouandyourbrandasathoughtleader.Themoreyoucanrelateinsightsthatarisedirectlyfromyourexperiences,themoreyouwillbeperceivedasaleader.
• UseCaseStudiesAndMarketResearch–wheneverpossible,
developandusecasestudiesandmarketresearch.Thisaddsasenseofobjectivityandcredibilitytoyourmarketingstrategies.
• EmphasizeGoodClearCommunica-tion–makeyourwritingascleanandassimpleaspossible.Avoidtechnicaltermsandmaintainacon-versational,yetprofessional,tone.Hireaproofreaderandpublishqual-ityfinalpieces.
Theprimarygoalofyourcampaignplanistoinsertyourbrandintothebuyingcycleofasmanyidealclientsaspossible.Yourcampaignsshouldbetactical,short-term,anddesignedtoelicitbuyingbehaviorquicklyfromidealclients.Someofthesetypesoftacticsinclude:• Direct-responsecampaignstargeted
atspecificbuyersinsidespecificbusinesses
• Emailmarketingcampaignswithwhitepapersandothervalue-basedoffers
• Webinars• Telemarketingcampaigns• Socialnetworkingcampaigns• Websiteupgrades• Onlinevideoandaudiotools• Searchenginemarketing• Referralincentiveplansforexisting
clients• Strategicallianceswithkeypartners
whohaveclientswhofityouridealclientprofile
Maptheseacrossatwelve-monthplanandassignspecificmessagestospe-cifictactics.
FiveStrategiesToAcquireNewIdealClientsInAToughEconomy
26
Strategy 4 Exercise: Build A Client Acquisition Plan Based On A Pull Strategy
Developyoureditorialcalendarbelowandthenapplymessagestospecifictactics.
Editorial Calendar (Content):
KeyThemes:(majortopicsofimportancetoidealclients)
Theme1
Theme2
Theme3
FiveStrategiesToAcquireNewIdealClientsInAToughEconomy
27
Theme4
Theme5
Messages:(yourtreatmentofthethemesdividedintospecifictopicswhereyouprovideinsightsandexpertise)
Message1
Message2
Message3
Message4
Message5
Message6
Message7
Message8
FiveStrategiesToAcquireNewIdealClientsInAToughEconomy
28
Message9
Message10
Message11
Message12
Campaign Plan (Tactics):
Direct-response
Emailmarketing
Webinars
Telemarketing
Socialnetworking
Websiteupgrades
Onlinevideoandaudiotools
Searchenginemarketing
Referralincentiveplans
Strategicalliances
FiveStrategiesToAcquireNewIdealClientsInAToughEconomy
29
PSexecutiveswithoutdatedorincorrectdata,orworseyet–nodataatall–arenotinagoodpositiontomakecoursecorrec-tionswherenecessary.Inourexperience,certaintacticsandmessagespullmuchmoreeffectivelythanothers.What’smore,itisnearlyimpossibleattheoutsetofacampaigntoknowwhicharethewinnersandwhicharejustokay.Trackingsystemsgreat-lyimproveyourabilitytotargettherightmessagesattherightaudienceandincreasedeal-flow.Thegoalofthisstrategyistohelpyouimplementtrackingsys-temsthatprovideactionableintelligencesoyoucancontinuallyrefineyourcampaigns.
Strategy 5: Execute Your Pull Strategy And Track Results
Implement Tracking Systems Nowthatyourclientacquisitionplanisreadytoexecute,therearefewmorefinalstepsyoushouldtaketoensurethegreatestsuccesspossible.Someofthosestepsinclude:
• Integration–integratetrackingintokeybusinessprocesses,especiallytheadditionofcontactstoyourCRM.WerecommendthatyoucreatetechnologypoliciesthatwillnotallowanewcontacttobeaddedtotheCRMunlesstheirsourceoforiginisidentified.
• Training–trainyourstafftousethetrackingsystemseffectivelyandalwaystoutthebenefitstothemofknowingwhichtacticsareproduc-
ingthebestresults.• Monitoring–werecommendthat
youmonitoryourCRMatleastweeklyandlookforthesourceofnewcontactsinthedatabase.
• Assessment–definea“check-in”pointwhenyouwillanalyzedatafromasetperiodoftimeandassesswhatchanges,ifany,youwanttomaketoyourclientacquisitionplan.Wetypicallyrecommendaquarterlyassessment.
Somekeydatapointsthatareimpor-tanttotrackovertimeinclude:• WebStatistics–thereareafew
differenttypesofstatisticstotrackhere:totaluniquevisitorsmonthly,lengthofvisits,totalpagesclicked
FiveStrategiesToAcquireNewIdealClientsInAToughEconomy
30
peruser,andspecificactionssuchasregisteringforwhitepapers,webi-nars,andotheractivities.
• EmailStatistics–whetheryouman-ageemailin-houseoruseaservicebureau,itisadvisabletotracktotalmessagessent,totalopens,andclick-throughstolandingpages.
• SourceOfNewLeads–ifyourCRMsystemwillallowit,setupafilterthatyoucanrunweeklyfornewcontactswhohaveenteredyourdatabase.Thenfilterareportonthesourceofthesenewcontacts.Besuretohaveaunique“source”foreverycampaignyourun.
• Messages–betweenweblandingpages,specificemails,andcoor-
dinatedcampaigns,youshouldbeabletoseerelativelyquicklywhichmessagesseemtoelicittherightbehaviorfromyourtargetaudience.Thisdataisinvaluableforrefiningcampaignsandmakingthemassuc-cessfulaspossible.
• CloseRates–ifyourCRMwillallowit,trackleadsallthewaythroughthesalesfunnel,fromfirstcontacttoproposaltoclose.Thenlookfortrendsatboththecontentandcampaignlevel.Ifyoucanidentifyspecificcampaignsandmessagesthatproduceagreaternumberofnewclients,youcanrepeatthemknowingtheywillimpactrevenue.
FiveStrategiesToAcquireNewIdealClientsInAToughEconomy
31
Intoday’stougheconomicclimate,PSfirmsneedtomaximizetheirresourcestoachievethegreatestsuccesspossible.Thesefivestrategies,whenimplementedeffectively,haveproducedoutstandingresultsforTheShattuckGroupandourclients.Whiletheyrequireconcertedefforttorealizetheirfullpotential,theywillimpactacquisitionoftherightclients,revenue,andgrowth.Isyourfirmreadytogrow?
Conclusion
Final ThoughtsAnidealclientisabusinessthatyourfirmisbestsuitedtoserve.Relation-shipswithidealclientsproduceout-standingresultsforboththeclientandyourfirm.PSfirmswhohaveanabun-danceofidealclientsexperienceben-efitslikegrowth,stability,worksatisfac-tion,andthebreathingroomtheyneedtoplanforthefuture.Tocaptureanever-increasingshareofidealclients,youneedtounderstandthemdeeply.Ifyoudonot,youshouldconductqualitativeandquantitativemarketresearch.Yourdeepunder-standingofidealclientspositionsyoutotailoryourservicesandpromisestothem.Asyouimplementapull-mar-ketingstrategytoattractthem,you’llnoticethattheyperceiveyouasboth
anexpertandasourceofgreatideasandsolutions.Tomaximizetheimpactofyourcam-paignsandmessages,implementtrack-ingsystemsacrosskeymetricssuchasweb,email,messagesthatpullmoreeffectivelythanothers,andultimatelycloserates.
How We Can Help
AtTheShattuckGroupweunderstandhowmuchworkthesestrategiesre-quire.Butthegoodnewsisthatyoudonothavetogoitalone.Wewouldbehappytohaveaconversationabouthowwecansupportyouthroughthisprocess.Tobeginthisconversation,callustodayat877-296-5301orsendanemailtoinfo@theshattuck-group.com.
FiveStrategiesToAcquireNewIdealClientsInAToughEconomy
32
TheShattuckGroupisafull-servicemarketingfirmthatspecial-izesinprofessionalservices.Weareahighlyfocusedteamofbranding,marketing,andbusinessdevelopmentexperts.BasedoutoftheSiliconValleyinSanJose,California,weserveselectclientsnationwide.
About The Shattuck Group
Our Mission And VisionOurmissionissimple–wehelpourcli-entsgrow.Thisisouronlypurposeforexistingasabusiness.EverymemberofTheShattuckGroupteamknowsthismantraandworkseverydaytomakeitrealforourclients.Ourvisionisequallysimple–weonlygrowwhenourclientsgrow.Weknowthatoursuccessisunequivocallytiedtoourclients’success.Thisprovidestremendousmotivationineverythingwedo.Everystrategywerecommend,everytacticweimplement,andeveryprojectwemanage–they’reallde-signedtohelpourclientsachievethegoalsthatmattermosttothem.
Our Value PropositionWeempowerourclientstoachievethegoalsthataremostimportanttothem.Increasedrevenue.Increasedprofits.Increaseddemand.Allofourservices,ourideas,andourenergyarefocusedonthesegoals.
FiveStrategiesToAcquireNewIdealClientsInAToughEconomy
33
Our ServicesWeachievetheseobjectiveswithauniquecombinationof10servicesthatarecustomizedforeachclient.We’velearnedthroughmarketresearch,ourexperiences,andempiricalobservationthatthese10serviceshavethegreatestimpactonourclient’stopandbottomlines:• MarketResearch• PositioningStrategies• MarketingPlans• MessagingDevelopment• BrandIdentity• BrandAwareness• ClientAcquisition• LeadGeneration• ThoughtLeadership• VideoDevelopment
Our Background
TheShattuckGroupwasfoundedin1998.Formorethanadecade,we’vebeenhelpingprofessionalservicesfirmsgrow,sometimesexponentially.Wehavethesuccessstoriestoproveit.Forinstance,wehelpedAvcomgrowfrom40milliontoover300millionintoplinerevenue.Ifyou’dliketohearmoreaboutthesestories,[email protected]“successstories.”Ifyouwouldliketolearnmoreabouthowwecanhelpyourfirm,pleasecallustodayat877-296-5301.Oryoucansendanemailtoinfo@theshattuck-group.com.
RandyShattuckisaseniormarketingexecutiveandfounderofTheShattuckGroup,amarketingfirmthatempowersPScom-paniestoreachtheirgrowthobjectives.For20yearsRandyhashelpedPSfirmsgrowbybuildingstrongbrands,generatingleads,acquiringtherightclients,andpositioningeffectively.
About The Author
Randy Shattuck’s BackgroundBeforeTheShattuckGroup,RandyhelpedAcclaimTechnology,aSiliconValleysystemsintegrator,growfrom10to120millioninsalesin3years.Asmarketingstrategistforthatfirm,Randyleadthechargetothemarketbybuildingabrandthatgrewfromabou-tiquetechnologysalesorganizationtoatrueenterprise.UnderRandy’smarket-ingleadership,thecompanygrewfromafewemployeesinoneofficetomorethan130employeesinofficesthrough-outthegreaterWesternUnitedStates.PriortoAcclaimTechnology,RandyheadedthemarketingfunctionofCon-tecMicroelectronics,helpingthatfirmdoubleitsrevenues.Underhismar-ketingleadership,Contec’sbrandgrewfromarelativelyunknowncompanytoarecognizedindustryplayer.Randynegotiatedthelargestcontracteverinthatfirm’shistory,resultingintremen-dousnewsalesandprofits.
Forthepast11yearsRandyhasleadTheShattuckGroup,helpingdozensofPSfirmsinavarietyofindustriesreal-izetheirgoals.Randy’sbackgroundisinmarketing,behavioralscience,strategy,andrheto-ric.HeisafeaturedcolumnistinPro-fessionalServicesJournalandRain-Today.Heisasought-afterspeaker,writer,andthinker.Youcanemailhimatrandy@theshat-tuckgroup.comandvisithisfirmonlineatwww.theshattuckgroup.com.
FiveStrategiesToAcquireNewIdealClientsInAToughEconomy
34
Notes
FiveStrategiesToAcquireNewIdealClientsInAToughEconomy
35