This past year had RainToday readers looking for help not necessarily to grow their firms but to simply hold on while the bumpy economic ride continued. What were readers most interested in this past year? The topics are not surprising: sales (especially cold calling), pricing of services, Twitter, marketing techniques, how to develop value propositions, and how clients buy. Here’s a look at the articles, podcast, webinar, case study, and research report that made it to RainToday’s list of top content for 2009.
Michael W. McLaughlin, MindShare Consulting
I’m Not a Salesperson; I’m a Consultant
If you are a lawyer, accountant, engineer, or any other services professional, sales is not your cup of tea. But if your firm is to survive, you have to do some form of selling. You have to spread the word and get clients. What do you do if you’d rather go out and collect garbage than have to sell? Contributing Editor Michael W. McLaughlin has some advice in RainToday’s top article of the year, What to Do if You Aren’t a Natural-Born Seller. The first thing to keep in mind: use facts, stories, and rational arguments to get prospects to see your point of view, not cheesy sales tactics.
Colleen Francis, Engage Selling
Hot Cold-Calling Tips
Ideally you’d like to have a referral before reaching out to a prospect. But sometimes you have to make cold calls—a sales tactic that chills most services professionals to the bone. If your cold calling attempts have been less than successful, Colleen Francis offers some suggestions in RainToday’s top podcast of the year Cold Calling Dos and Don’ts. The trick, she says, is to think about it as new business development or opening a relationship. Colleen has some great tips for initiating the conversation and tells you what statements will kill a relationship.
Charles H. Green, Trusted Advisor Associates
I’m Sorry, but Your Price is Too High
One topic that can kill a relationship—even with a long-standing client—is pricing. This past year, pricing was on the minds of everyone, with people looking to cut costs and make ends meet. But your time and work are valuable, so what do you say when a client says your price is too high? In one of the top articles of the year, Contributing Editor Charles H. Green says that before you jump to conclusions and possibly respond badly, ask the client why they think that. By understanding their reasoning, not only can you influence the sale, but you also develop a deeper relationship with the client.
Paul Collins, Equiteq
What’s Your Value Proposition?
During tough times, “value” also becomes a significant topic of conversation. Value takes on a different meaning: Are you costing them more than you will save them? If so, you’re history. If not, how do you give them more value in a shorter timeframe to help them survive to fight another day? Paul Collins, founder and managing partner of Equiteq LLP, tackled that subject in RainToday’s top webinar of the year, Building a Value Proposition that Sells in a Recession. Watch Paul’s webinar to learn what it means to have a compelling value proposition during recessionary times and how to get one.
Michael A. Stelzner, Social Media Examiner
The Rise of Twitter
The search for new clients and development of client relationships had many services professionals turning to Twitter this past year. Use of the social media site has shot into the stratosphere unlike anything in recent memory–even CEOs are leaping onto the Twitter bandwagon, says Michael Stelzner in one of the top articles of the year, Why You Need Twitter to Grow Your Business. And unlike other “here today, gone tomorrow” services, Twitter seems to have staying power. That means professional services firms must consider it. If your clients and prospects use it, so must you.
Case Study: Direct Mail and Phone Calls Still Work
Whether or not your clients use Twitter, good old direct mail and phone calls could help you grow your business as they did for DM2 in RainToday’s case study of the year, How a 15-Person Firm Grew Its Roster of Fortune 500 Clients Using Direct Marketing and Phone Calls by Mary Flaherty. In an industry where high-profile Madison Avenue agencies had a long-established stronghold on marquee clients, this small, 15-person advertising agency, managed to cultivate a client list that included household-name blue chip Fortune 500 companies. And with a $600 direct marketing campaign, it secured $1.3 million in new business.
Get Into the Minds of Your Clients
Most important when deciding your marketing strategy and meeting with prospects and clients is understanding how your clients buy. The need to know what clients think helped make RainToday’s report, How Clients Buy: 2009 Benchmark Report on Professional Services Marketing and Selling from the Client Perspective the hottest item in the RainToday store this past year. The report gets into the minds of more than 200 buyers in eight service areas and helps demystify the professional services purchasing process. It’s essential reading if you want to improve your sales and marketing efforts.
