Referrals

I attended a business referral breakfast with a BNI group. A few of the members told me referral partnerships bring in about 1/3 of their new business. It takes months and even years to develop referral partnerships. Attending meetings regularly can be 3 hours each week to build up new contacts.

SEO

Website specialists often focus on S.E.O. (search engine optimization). By carefully developing and then maintaining the content on a website and other online assets, they can move a website toward Page 1 of Google and other search engines. That process is at least 6 months, and probably more, depending on the level of competition. Each month there needs to be well-planned content developed and used in various online formats. Each website needs to have a page that offers something of value so people who might need the business’s services can respond easily, otherwise they probably won’t act and may forget.

Cold Calling

Cold calling is seen by many as telemarketing. It is not! I first came across a successful small accounting practice that hired someone to make calls to business owners with simple questions:

• Do you need help with your business Year-End?
• Are you satisfied with your current process?
• That phone caller was working for them about 5–10 hours per month.

Nurturing Emails

1st Contacts are extremely important, but they need to be followed up with appropriate information. These “interested” executives are not potential clients until they start interacting. A series of emails to interested new contacts will build their understanding of your services, over time. These emails can be sent regularly to educated people, and start to build understanding.

Each of these methods can profitably reach the right people. However, you need to realize, the “need level” is different and so different methods of communications and messages need to be considered.

Trust

Accounting practitioners are going to get new clients only after trust is built. Only after there is trust can a detailed and insightful conversation happen. Over time, with good communications, you can demonstrate your appropriate service levels and expertise. Trust is the heart of Professional Services Marketing.

A Balanced Strategy, Every Month

Each of the 1st Contact methods above is not intense or expensive. It’s simply a matter of a good plan, good content and discipline over time. A few hours invested weekly, or monthly, will move your practice in the right direction. Then you will gain new contacts, some of whom are potential referral sources, some are potential clients, and many won’t fit. By dealing with each set of contacts with a plan, you will gain new clients, and you can attract preferred clients – the ones who fit your client development strategy.

If you’d like more information, or a free conversation, contact Gap Management for ideas.