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Antique KeyTrust—it’s what you want all prospects and clients to have in you. But it takes work to earn that trust. As Nancy Fox says in her article this week, 5 Ways to Win Business and Influence Decision Makers, you “gain influence and trust with business decision makers when [you] demonstrate that [you] understand them, their business, and the needs and wants of their business.” Start by identifying the real decision makers and then develop a relationship with them, paying attention to the client’s wants and needs.

Charles H. Green reinforces that thinking in his article, When You Fling Mud at Competitors, You Get Dirty, Too. You want to focus on your client, not your competitor. You may be tempted to point out what you do better than your competitor and point out your competitor’s flaws, but that doesn’t sit well with clients. They may think you care only about winning the sale and beating the competition, not about really helping them.

“Focusing on your client, not on your competitor, is the trustworthy thing to do,” Green says. “And when trust in businesses is declining, those who act in a trustworthy manner differentiate themselves. Isn’t that what you want?” [click to continue…]

Topics: Client Relationship Management, Client Retention & Loyalty, Lead Nurturing, Public Relations, Social Media, Thought Leadership

Which B2B lead generation tactics should you use?

Which B2B lead generation tactics should you use?

With all the lead generation options available to B2B professional services firms today, how do you decide which ones to use?

How should you spend your time, energy, and money to achieve the best ROI?

How do you know which tactics will generate the most qualified leads for your firm?

Should your mix include cold calling, conference speaking, publishing, seminars, direct mail, PR, referral programs, social media, Internet marketing, or something else?

They’re critical questions—that’s why RainToday’s benchmark lead generation research published in 2007 is among our best-selling reports. Obviously, a lot has changed in the business environment and marketplace since then, so it’s time to update. This year, we’re excited to partner with the good folks at IT Services Marketing Association (ITSMA) in this important lead generation research. [click to continue…]

Topics: Lead Generation Process, Lead Nurturing

Search Engine Marketing 101: Tools and Resources to Get You Started

by Erica StritchMarch 8, 2010

Did you know search engine marketing matters to professional services firms more than ever today? Even if you rely on referrals for new business, your prospective buyers are visiting your website before deciding to engage in an initial discussion with you. According to our research, How Clients Buy Professional Services, 80% of buyers typically visit [...]

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What Small Independent Providers Can Teach Large Firms

by Michelle DavidsonMarch 4, 2010

You might think large professional services firms always do things better than independent providers, but that isn’t true, says Andrew Sobel. In fact, large firms can learn a thing or two from successful small practitioners.
Sobel, a consultant who has experience with both large global firms and small practitioners, describes in his article, Where Independent Professionals [...]

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Pairing Webinars with Social Media to Build Thought Leadership & Generate Leads

by Mary FlahertyMarch 2, 2010

If you’re selling a complex service in a crowded industry niche, you know how challenging it can be to establish your firm. It’s doubly difficult when you’re the start-up in an established space.
That’s one reason this story about Avature is instructive. In 2004, this firm entered the crowded field of customer relationship management (CRM) technology [...]

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“How Much Does it Cost?” What to Say When It’s Too Early to Determine

by Erica StritchMarch 1, 2010

Here’s the situation: it’s the first, maybe second, serious conversation with a prospect. You’re asking questions, you’re building great rapport, you’re uncovering a slew of needs, and you’re already seeing how you can help this prospect in 10 different ways. The conversation is going great. That is until the prospect says, “Wow, this all sounds [...]

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Selling Services Challenge – We Have a Winner!

by Mary FlahertyFebruary 26, 2010

Congratulations to Russell Dunkin! Russell won the Kindle and an Amazon gift certificate for the Kindle edition of the book Professional Services Marketing: How the Best Firms Build Premier Brands, Thriving Lead Generation Engines, and Cultures of Business Development Success. (Russell, if you’re reading this check your email!)
Thanks to everyone for taking the time to [...]

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How to Think Like a Business Developer and Grow Your Firm

by Michelle DavidsonFebruary 25, 2010

These days everyone in a firm is being asked to do business development. For many services professionals, however, it isn’t an easy thing to do. They went to school to become accountants, lawyers, engineers, etc., not to become salespeople. But develop business they must if their firm is to grow or even continue.
While the pressure [...]

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Are You in Peril of Losing Clients?

by Mary FlahertyFebruary 23, 2010

In an intensely competitive and economically challenging environment, such as the one we are in, many professional services firms tend to focus their marketing and selling efforts on attracting new clients. While it’s necessary to attract new clients, it’s also critical to retain your current clients.
Unfortunately, your clients are more likely to switch providers than [...]

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9 Email Newsletter Tips

by Erica StritchFebruary 22, 2010

An email newsletter can be a great way to stay in touch with prospects and clients. However, many of the newsletters I receive from professional services firms do little more than make we want to click the unsubscribe link. I don’t care that you hired a new vice president. Stop clogging up my inbox with [...]

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