(Photo by Brent Moore)
The competition among professional services firms is tough. There are some signs of economic improvement, but still more firms are vying for fewer buyer dollars. You have to do something to get their attention and get them to want your services.
For many firms, that something is free offerings and services—not just lower prices, but free. Now, it makes sense to offer some things for free, such as articles, video and audio recordings, and online assessments, because those things help you build up trust and demonstrate that you provide value. In fact, Andrew Sobel says in his article—Should You Offer Free Services?—that the higher your fees, the more free digital content you are likely to give away.
But if you think providing free samples or major pieces of work will help you beat the competition and win deals, think carefully before doing anything. It could work if it’s done strategically, as Sobel illustrates in his article, but it could easily backfire and portray you as weak and desperate.
“You can give away work from strength—if and only if it’s positioned properly and the circumstances are right—and you can do it from weakness, which may make you look desperate and even pathetic,” he says.
You might consider advertising as a way to get prospects to notice you, but this is another area in which you must tread carefully. Advertising for professional services is significantly different than product advertising. The goal ultimately is to help a firm build a reputation and name recognition that reinforces other marketing efforts to attract and sell clients. It is not to sell a specific service that day. You can’t sell a service unless there’s need.
Many firms struggle with advertising, but the law firm of Ogletree Deakins seems to have created “the perfect law firm ad campaign,” says Bruce W. Marcus in his article, Ogletree Deakins Gets it Right: The Perfect Law Firm Ad.
“Ogletree’s committed program seems to recognize that the purpose of law firm advertising, as opposed to product advertising, is to build name recognition and reputation, which cannot be done effectively with infrequent ads,” Marcus writes. “The problem with most law and accounting firm advertising is that it tries to create clients with its ads, which it rarely does. Who hires a lawyer or accountant from an ad?”
If you’re considering an advertising campaign, check out Marcus’s article for more information about what Ogletree Deakins did and to see an example of a firm that handled its campaign badly.
How else can you get prospects to notice you and build relationships with prospective buyers? Through social media networks, says Todd Schnick. You may not believe it, but your buyers do use social media networks, and you’re foolish to not try to connect with them there, he says in his article, B2B Businesses and Social Media—No More Excuses.
“Mail me one penny for every time you’ve heard this line: ‘The kind of people I sell to aren’t on social media,’ ” Schnick says. “I hear this all the time. And while I want to get angry at these souls for feeling this way, I don’t. Because I know that they just don’t see it, just don’t believe it. Or, in many instances, they aren’t willing to do the work necessary.”
That’s the secret—it takes work and time. Social media is not a quick-sale platform. Follow the guidelines Schnick outlines in his article, and you’ll build a structure that will allow you to demonstrate your value and will eventually lead to new business.
If it’s your firm’s sales skills that are standing in the way of success, a training program might be needed. But how do you choose a provider that’s right for you? Now the tables are turned and you’re the buyer. Fortunately, there are some resources to help you decide, including the Sales Training Vendor Guide from ES Research Group. In this week’s RainToday podcast—Which Sales Training Program Is Right for You?—ES Research CEO Dave Stein discusses some of the findings in the report, including the top companies in the different categories, the state of online training, and the effectiveness of sales assessment tools.
My question to you now: What are you doing to stand out among the competition and make the sale?
