When selling services, sometimes you can slip into some bad practices – even some unethical practices. In some firms, there’s pressure to be the top salesperson, while in others there’s pressure to just survive. No matter the situation, you don’t want to become someone who does whatever it takes to win a client, says Jill Konrath in her latest article on RainToday.com, Say No to Unethical Sales Practices. Doing so will set you up for disaster, for unethical behaviors can have serious ramifications, such as loss of respect and trust, Konrath says.
Avoid bad sales practices if you don't want to come off as a sleazy salesperson
If you’re panicked about the survival of your firm and try to sign every and any client, you’re heading into different trouble. You will end up with clients you really can’t help or clients who will leave after a few months. You want satisfied clients who will stay with you for years. To get them, you must first determine who your ideal clients are, says Randy Shattuck in this week’s podcast, Acquire the Ideal Client, Not Just Any Client.
Once you determine who your ideal clients are, then you can decide the best marketing strategy to get them. In Part Two of Shattuck’s two-part article series, Five Best Practices to Generate New Business, he says that to get prospects interested in your services, you have to speak to results that matter most to them. Follow the practices he gives in this article, and you’ll increase close rates, revenue, and profitability.
Shattuck will discuss client acquisition in greater detail during his November 12 webinar, Top 5 Client Acquisition Strategies in a Tough Economy. You’ll learn how to capture ideal clients who are perfect for your firm, how to manipulate the B2B buying cycle in your favor, how to close more deals, and how to improve your profitability.
During the webinar, Shattuck also plans to review the results from his latest survey on client acquisition tactics and strategies for 2010. Take a few minutes to take this short survey before the webinar. All participants will receive the full results after the broadcast.
Indeed, firms are under intense pressure these days, but Sharon Berman points out that the web makes it easier for smaller firms to compete with large firms. In her article, Competing with Large Firms: How the web Levels the Playing Field, Berman says for a relatively low investment, smaller professional services firms can expand their presence and reach desirable clients as effectively as firms that have larger wallets. It’s as simple as taking advantage of the tools the Web has to offer.
On the Internet nobody knows if you’re a dog. In the same sense, nobody has to know you’re a small firm.
