By Bill Doerr, TNNW Sales & Marketing Editor
Which of the following comments made by small business owners and professional service providers can you relate to:
- "I don’t like marketing myself."
- "I’m not good at marketing myself."
- "I find going to networking events painful."
- "I have letters after my name . . . I shouldn’t have to market my services."
Can you relate?
These sentiments are common. They’re understandable. But, they’re not acceptable! At least not if you intend to grow your reputation, revenues and business.
In today’s highly competitive, over-crowded world of services marketing, being ‘professional’ is a minimum expectation to get into and stay in business. Beyond that, you must also become known to and regarded by the kind of people who can best appreciate the beneficial difference you make in the life of a client.
That’s where marketing your services comes in. And, since you’re not pushing a product off of the shelves in a retail environment, your methodology must be aligned with this reality: your marketing reflects the quantity and the quality of the relationships you develop with people who can help you grow your business or professional practice. Like who? Well, certainly clients. Definitely your centers-of-influence. Probably most of your prospective clients, too.
OK, "How?"
Here’s a simple four (4) keys you can use to help you build share of mind and, as a result, share of market for yourself and your valuable, problem-solving services.
KEY 1: Seek Introductions . . . as well as referrals.
I work exclusively with professional service providers in accounting, financial services, business consulting, etc. and almost everyone in service fields like those finds it difficult to ask people – even their clients – for ‘a referral’.
Certainly, there’s the issue of being rejected or ‘turned down’. Some of us learned how good that felt at a school dance during our formative years! But, however it’s learned, you have to recognize it’s likely to modify your referral requesting behavior. And while not having enough business is motivating, you know that avoiding the ‘pain’ of being rejected . . . can be even more powerful than achieving a ‘gain’, too.
The solution? Seek an introduction. It’s easier to ask for one. And, easier to obtain, too!
Why? Two factors. 1) people aren’t psychic. 2) people don’t like to judge their friends.
If you ask me for a ‘referral’ to ‘someone who needs your services’ I am forced to be psychic. How would I know if someone needs (or, cares about!) what you do?
For example, most people I know aren’t asking, "Gee Bill, do you know a good Chiropractor?" So if my Chiropractor asks me, "Bill, who do you know who might need to know a good chiropractor?" (which he is, by the way!), I might have that ‘deer in the headlights’ look and he might feel ‘rejected’ – which is a great way to de-motivate him from asking other people in the future. Nasty little cycle, isn’t it?
The problem with services marketing is that people who do need your problem-solving services aren’t wearing a ‘SEND HELP’ flag that the people who can best connect you with them are able to see.
Assume you’re financial planner. You ask me "Who do you know who could use my services?" Assume I also know, like and trust your professional abilities. So I ponder your question about who I know who needs a financial planner. One of my contacts is ‘Charlie’. Charlie’s possibly a candidate for you. His ‘other’ car is a Mercedes, right? But if anything, that makes me pass over Charlie as a possible ‘person who needs you’.
Yet, ironically, he may be the BEST contact I know who could (and, maybe should!) value the benefits of a good planner. But I wouldn’t think of telling you about Charlie because I’m making a judgment that he doesn’t appear to have a need to know about you. And guess what –– I could be completely wrong. But you’ll never know because you asked me for a ‘referral’ rather than an introduction to meet "someone I know whose ‘other car’ is a Mercedes"
Don’t make someone have to be a psychic or make a judgment about whether someone needs your services . . . to help you meet new client opportunities.
KEY 2: Recognize that someone isn’t likely to need you . . . when you first meet each other.
Most of the professional services providers I know seem to ignore a critical fact. That people who need their services – actually the benefits they provide – don’t develop a need for them all the time. So whenever you initially connect with someone, it’s a good idea to presume two things:
- they probably don’t need your services . . . at that moment, and
- given enough time they will . . . in the future. Probably repeatedly, too.
So it’s important that you take a strategic vs. a tactical approach and plan to ‘be there’ when they’re ready . . . and assume it’s not likely to be the same day you meet them.
Marketing is, by it’s nature, a strategic process. Selling is a tactical activity. Keep that in mind and you’ll develop the patience you need to grow your business or practice by design, not accident!
KEY 3: Have a plan in place to ‘keep-in-touch’ and ‘stay-in-mind’ . . . before you need it.
OK, you find yourself talking with someone who, if not ‘now’, will likely need what you do at some point in the future. If so, you need a way to keep-in-touch to stay-in-mind or that person’s future value may be lost to you and harvested by someone else.
At a minimum, a basic plan – a KITSIM (keep-in-touch-stay-in-mind) plan – should allow you to do the following:
- Immediately: send a personal note to acknowledge your connection
- Monthly: send some brief information about the receiver, not about you
- Quarterly: call the person to ‘touch base’ and ‘see what’s happening’
Get off to a ‘good start’ . . . keep-in-touch repeatedly, regularly, respectfully . . . and soon enough . . . you’ll be harvesting the seeds of opportunity you’ve been cultivating.
KEY 4: Delegate / Automate the process of keeping-in-touch . . . as much as possible.
As good as any plan is, it’s of no value unless / until it’s being used on your behalf.
Perhaps the most frequently cited challenge I hear from service providers is that, while they may feel they know what to do, when to do it, with whom, where and why . . . the HOW to do it is that elusive element that can prevent them from realizing their goals.
So, if you’re able to delegate the key actions of a KITSIM plan to an assistant, great.
If not, automate your KITSIM plan using some kind of software. More and more of this kind of software is being developed and, if you’re seeking some suggestions, I have a good buddy who’s pretty adept at putting plans into play using the latest software of the day. If you’d like to contact him, give me a call – 860-798-6964.
So there you go . . . marketing your services isn’t like pushing products . . . but it still requires a plan and your commitment to carry it out.
Bill Doerr, CCO of SellMore Marketing, LLC is the creator of The Preferral Prospecting System®,
The Expert Directory® and The Ultimate Client Development System™. Bill uses these programs to
help service providers build their business by leveraging relationships and generating more referrals.
You can reach Bill by phone at: 860-798-6964, online: www.sellmoremarketing.com or by
email: billd@thenationalnetworker.com or by the TNNW Blog: http://thenationalnetworker.blogspot.com
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