five strategies to acquire new ideal clients in a tough economy

FIVE STRATEGIESTO ACQUIRE

NEW IDEAL CLIENTS

IN A TOUGH ECONOMY

PLAN. BRAND. EXPAND.

Introduction 3

Strategy1:BuildOrUpdateYourIdealClientProfile 6

Strategy2:AnalyzeYourExistingMessagesAndPromises 11

Strategy3:IdentifyGapsWhereChangesShouldBeMade 17

Strategy4:BuildAClientAcquisitionPlan 24

Strategy5:ExecuteTheStrategyAndTrackResults 29

Conclusion 31

AboutTheShattuckGroup 32

AboutTheAuthor 34

Table of Contents

FiveStrategiesToAcquireNewIdealClientsInAToughEconomy

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Five Strategies To Acquire New Ideal Clients In A Tough Economy

ByRandyShattuck,CEO,TheShattuckGroup

©Copyright2009,TheShattuckGroup.Allrightsreserved.

TERMS & CONDITIONSAllcontentcontainedinthisdocumentistheintellectualpropertyofTheShattuckGroup.Byusingthisdocument,youagreetothefollowingtermsandconditions.1.Youmaydownload,print,andcopythisworkbookonetimeforyourpersonaluseprovidedthatyouretainallcopyrightnoticesanddonotmodifytheworkbookinanyway.2.Thisworkbookisprovided“asis”withoutanywarrantiesofanykindwhatsoever,includingwarrantiesoftitleorfitnessforaparticularpurpose.TheShattuckGroupmakesnowarrantiesofanyresultsthatmaybeobtainedfromtheuseofthisworkbook.3.InnoeventwillTheShattuckGroup,RandyShattuck,oranyofficers,employees,oragentsofTheShattuckGroupbeliableforanyindirect,consequential,special,incidental,orpunitivedamagesfromtheuseofthisworkbook.

Ifyoucannotabidebythesetermsandconditionsthanyouagreeto,andareherebychargedwith,destroyingallcopies,bothelectronicandphysical,ofthisworkbook.

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Neverbeforehavewe,atTheShattuckGroup,witnessedsomuchinterestamongprofessionalservices(PS)firmsinacquir-ingnewclients.Asweallgrapplewiththeworstrecessionthattoday’sworkingadultshaveeverseen,ahungerforclientacqui-sitiongrowstoalmostdesperateproportions.

Thishungerputsmanyfirmsatriskofmakingpoordecisions.

Introduction

Infact,TheShattuckGroupconductedmarketresearchwithmorethan200PSexecutivesinearly2009.Weaskedthoseexecutivestoidentifyprioritiesamongawiderangeoftopicsthatwereofimportancetothem.Theresults?

“Acquiringnewclients”wasthenum-beroneconcernoftheseexecutives,with77.3%reportingthatthiswas“veryimportant”tothemand17.7%statingthatitwas“important.”

“Retainingexistingclients”wasthenumbertwoconcernoftheseexecu-tives,with70.6%reportingthatthiswas“veryimportant”tothemand22.3%statingthatitwas“important.”

Theirnumberthreeconcern,notsur-prisingly,was“generatingleads,”with66.5%reportingthatthiswas“veryimportant”tothemand23.9%statingthatitwas“important.”

Nowyoumightbewonderingwhythesestatisticsaresignificantenoughtowarrantbeingonpagethreeofthisdocument.Therearetworeasons.

First,ifyouexaminehowthesecon-cernsranknexttootherlegitimateconcerns,thereisasizablegapbe-tweenthem.Topicssuchas“develop-ingeffectivemarketingplans,upgrad-ingbrandidentity,differentiatingfromcompetitors,increasingbrandaware-ness,conductingresearch,productizingservices,andpricingservicesappro-priately”wererankedasmuchas50%lowerinimportancecomparedtotheclient-revenue-orientedconcerns.

Second,ifyoucomparethissurveytoprevioussurveysaboutthesesametop-ics,thereisfarlessdistancebetweentheclient-revenue-orientedconcernsandtheotherconcerns.Thissuggestsadramaticshiftinmentalityandpriori-ties,ashiftwhichmayhaveunhealthyconsequences.

Analysis

Whatdothesestatisticstellus?Wethinktherearethreeobservationsofcriticalimportancehere.

1. PSexecutivesareundertremen-douspressuretogeneratenewrev-enue.Unfortunately,humanbeingsarepronetomakehastydecisionsthatmaynotbeintheirlong-termbestinterestwhenfacingtheseconditions.

2. Weareconcernedthatexecutivesareobfuscating“revenuegenera-tion”and“clientacquisition.”Tous,thetwoarenotoneandthesame.Newclientsoftencomewithhighriskandmaynotremaingoodclientsovertime.Newclientsarefarmorelikely,inourexperience,tonegativelyimpactprofitabilityandcreatemanagementheadaches.Moreoftenthannot,existingclientsarethebestsourceofquicknewrevenue.WhileclientretentionwasatopconcernofPSexecutives,thetechniquesthatempowerfirmstogrowrevenuesfromexistingclients(researchandproductizingservices)wereatthebottomofthelistofpriorities.

3. Whileacquiringnewclientsandretainingexistingclientswereoftopimportance,thetechniquesthatmakethesegoalspossiblewereoflowestimportance.ThisagainsuggeststhatPSexecutivesarenotthinkingentirelyclearlyinthesestressfultimes.Inourexperience,

conductingmarketresearchtobet-terunderstandidealclients(only22.3%rankedthisasveryimpor-tant)andproductizingservices(only17%rankedthisasveryimportant)aretwooftheverybestwaystoimpactrevenuequickly.Agreatnewidea,packagedupandreadytoselltoafriendlyexistingclient,canhaveahugeimpactonquarterlyearningsreports.

A Big Mistake

ButourbiggestconcerntodayisthatPSexecutivesaremovingstraighttotacticswithoutunderstandinghowandwhythosetacticswilldelivertherev-enueresultstheyseek.Itseemsalmostasiftheyreadaboutanewtacticthatamarketinggururecommendsandtheyareonlytooeagertotryit.

Webelievethisdistractsfromsoundstrategyandamethodicalapproachtotouchingthemarketandgaininggreat-ermarketshare.

Executiveswhofailtoputstrategyinfrontoftacticswillsoonfindthem-selveswithalotofactivitybutnottheresultstheywerehopingfor.

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How To Use This Workbook

Theremainderofthisworkbookad-dressestheseobservationsbyofferinganalternativeapproachtoclientac-quisitionandrevenuegenerationthatisthoughtful,basedonbest-practices,andthathasproventobehighlysuc-cessfulforTheShattuckGroupandourclientsovertime.

Itisoursensethattherehasneverbeenabettertimetobeinprofessionalservices.Whilebudgetsaretightandclientsandprospectsscrutinizeeveryprojectforvalue,therehaveneverbeenmorebuyersofprofessionalser-

viceswhoarethisopentonewpro-viders.Traditionalloyaltiesbetweenbuyersandsellershavebeenshat-tered,openingthedoortonewfirmsandnewideas.

Theremainderofthisworkbookshowsyoustep-by-stephowtoexploitthesenewopportunitiesandeffectivelygrabmarketshare.Eachchapterinthisworkbookiscomprisedofaconceptandanexercise.Theconceptwillex-plainwhatyoucandotoacquirenewidealclientsandtheexercisewillaskyoutoputtheideaintoactionforyourfirm.Readytogetstarted?

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N = 199 Professional Services Executives.

Acquiring New Clients

Retaining Existing Clients

Generating Leads

1.0% 4.0% 17.7% 77.3%

2.5% 4.6% 22.3% 70.6%

1.5% 8.1% 23.9% 66.5%

Source: Professional Services Journal and The Shattuck Group study of 207 professional services leaders. 2009.

PS Executives’ Top Three Concerns

Not Important

SomewhatImportant

VeryImportant Important

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Everyprofessionalservices(PS)firmhasidealclients-thetypeofclientthatyouarebestsuitedtoserve.WhenPSfirmsserveidealclientseffectively,everythingelsefallsintoplace.ButuntilPSfirmsdiscoverwhotheiridealclientisandthebestwaytoservethem,theyoftenstruggle.

Thegoalofthisstrategyistohelpyoudiscoverorupdateyouridealclientprofile.

Strategy 1: Build Or Update Your Ideal Client Profile

Ideal Clients Defined

Anidealclientisabusinessthatyourfirmisbestsuitedtoserve.TherearesevenmajorqualitiesthatmostPSfirmslookforinanidealclient:

1. Impact–youdeliverservicesthathaveasignificantimpactontheirbusiness,usuallytheirtoporbot-tomlineorboth.

2. Budget–idealclientseasilyaffordyourservicesandusuallyhavealreadyreservedalineitemintheirannualbudgetforthoseservices.

3. Profits–youearnasubstantialprofitbydeliveringtheseservices.

4. Insights–youunderstandwhatyouridealclientneedsoftenbetterthantheydo.

5. Expertise–youridealclientswantandneedyourspecificcapabilitiesandhavelimitedoptionsforacquir-ingthatexpertise.

6. Culture–thereisagoodfitbetweenthewayyoudobusinessandthe

wayyouridealclientsprefertobeserved.

7. Chemistry–yourstaffandyouridealclients’staffworkwelltogeth-erwithfewconflicts.

WhenPSfirmshaveanabundanceofthesetypesofclients,theyfindthem-selvesintheenviablepositionofreal-izingsevenmajorbenefits:

1. Revenue–theyhavealloftherev-enuetheyneedtorewardemploy-eesandstakeholders.

2. Profitability–theirdealsarecon-sistentlyprofitableatlevelsthatexceedindustryaveragesandfueltheireconomicengine.

3. Growth–theyconsistentlygrowataratethatmeetstheexpectationsofstakeholders.

4. Loyalty–bothemployeesandclientsfeelastrongsenseofaffin-ityforthefirmandwanttoseeitdowellovertime.

5. Satisfaction–employeesfindtheir

FiveStrategiesToAcquireNewIdealClientsInAToughEconomy

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workfulfillingandenjoyable.Cli-entsrealizeresultsthatmeetorexceedtheirexpectations.

6. Commitment–employeesdevotethemselvestosupportingclientsandgivingtheirbestefforts.

7. Vision–executivesandstakehold-erstakealong-termviewandinvestininitiativesthatenablethefirmtoachieveitsfullpotential.

Howcanyourfirmacquireidealclientsandrealizethesebenefits?Youbuildanidealclientprofileforeveryserviceyouoffer.Anidealclientprofileisalistofattributesacrossthefollowingpa-rameters:

• Demographicfactors• Decision-makers&influencers• Keyconcernsofthosedecision-

makersandinfluencers• Goalstheywanttoachieve

Thevalueofbuildinganidealclientprofileisthatithelpsyouseeclearlywhomyouareseekingtoserve,chal-lengesyouwillhelpthemovercomeandopportunitiesyouwillhelpthemexploit,andresultstheywanttorealizefromassociatingwithyourfirm.Thisprofilecanandshouldbesharedwitheveryoneinsideyourorganizationtoensureyouareallunitedinyourvisionandgoals.

Pleasenotethatyourfirmmayhaveseveralidealclients,oneforeachser-viceyouoffer.Youwillrealizetremen-dousbenefitsandfocusbybuildinganidealclientprofileforeachofyourservices.Todothis,pickanimportantserviceandcompletetheexerciseformbelow.Youcanrepeatthisexerciseforeveryserviceyouoffer.

Ifyoucannotcompletethefollowingexercisewithahighdegreeofconfi-dencethatyouranswersareaccurateandrepresentativeoftheidealbuyerofthatservice,youshouldseriouslycon-siderconductingmarketresearch.Tolearnmoreabouthowtodothis,pleasevisitwww.theshattuckgroup.comandclickonOurServices.

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Strategy 1 Exercise: Build Or Update Your Ideal Client Profile

Pickoneimportantserviceyouofferandcompletetheexercisebelowabouttheidealclientforthatservice.Repeatthisexerciseforeachserviceyouoffer.

Demographic Factors

Industry:

Broadindustry

Sub-industry

Geography

Companysize:

Employeecount

Annualrevenue

Decision Makers & Influencers:

Majorresponsibilities

Departments

Titles

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Tenurewithcompany

Psychographicdata:

Agerange

Education

Gender

Key Concerns

Challenges:(whatkeepsthemupatnightworrying?)

Challenge1

Challenge2

Challenge3

Opportunities:(whattheydreamofaccomplishing?)

Opportunity1

Opportunity2

Opportunity3

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Goals They Want To Achieve

Goal1

Goal2

Goal3

Goal4

Goal5

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ManyPSpeoplebelievethatwhattheydoisaboutexpertise,credibility,andcapability.Whilethismaybetrue,itisnotthereasonthatclientsbuy.Clientsbuybecausetheybelieveinapromise.Infact,thefundamentalnatureofsellingprofessionalservicesis–inaword–promise.AsPSpeople,wepromisetohelpourclientsgofromwheretheyarenowtowheretheywanttobeinthefuture.

Thegoalofthisstrategyistohelpyouanalyzetheefficacyofthepromisesyoumaketoyourmarket.

Strategy 2: Analyze Your Existing Promises

Your PromisesWhatpromisesareyoumakingtoyourclients,prospects,andthemarketatlarge?Toanswerthisquestion,youneedtolookatyourmessages.Let’spickoneservicethatyouoffer,saythemostpopularormaybethemostprofit-ableserviceyouoffer,andlet’sexam-ineitingreaterdetail.Mostofthetime,promisesaremadethroughbrochures,webpages,presen-tations,webinars,andothertypesofmarketingmaterials.Gatherthosema-terialstogetherinonelocationandlaythemoutonatable.Haveahighlighterhandy.Whatdoyousee?

An Objective LookIfyourfirmislikemost,you’llseein-consistenciesofseveralkinds:

• Identity–thisisprobablythemostobviousone.Manyfirmsstruggletokeeptheiridentityconsistentacrossallpointsofexposuretothemarket.Butthisistheleastlikelyareatonegativelyimpactclientacquisition.

• ValueProposition–isyourvaluepropositionconsistentfromonedocumenttothenext?Isitclearly,simply,andelegantlyarticulatedsothatitstandsout?Canaclientlookatadocumentandknowwithinsecondswhytheyshouldbuythisservice?

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• Results–doyoupromisetodeliverspecificresultsoroutcomesfromyourserviceandifsowhatarethey?Aretheseresultsconsistentlystatedfromonedocumenttothenext?Morethanjustdeliverables,resultsaretheimpactofthedeliv-erablesonyourclient’sbusiness.Resultsaretypicallytiedtospecific,quantifiableoutcomesfromyourservice.

• Benefits–whatbenefitswillclientsrealizefromtheservice?Whilere-sultsarespecifictobusinessdriversofaquantifiablenature,benefitsaremoresubjectivebutequallyimpor-tant.Benefitsarethepsychologicalrewardsofhavingachievedcertainresults.

• Deliverables–doyouconsistentlyoutlinethedeliverablesfromyourservice?Doclientsandprospectsunderstandthetangibleitemsthattheywilltakepossessionofasyoudeliverservices?

Itisimportanttoexamineyoursalesandmarketingmaterialsfromadisin-terestedperspective.Ifyoudonotfeelconfidentthatyoucandothisonyourown,werecommendthatyouhireanoutsidefirmorfindafriendorcol-leaguetodothisonyourbehalf.

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Strategy 2 Exercise: Analyze Your Existing Promises

Pickonemajorserviceyouoffer,preferablyapopularorhighlyprofitableservice,andcompletetheexercisebelowforthatservice.

Promises Made To Clients

Valueproposition:

Results

Result1

Result2

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Result3

Result4

Result5

Benefits:

Benefit1

Benefit2

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Benefit3

Benefit4

Benefit5

Deliverables:

Deliverable1

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Deliverable2

Deliverable3

Deliverable4

Deliverable5

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WhenPSfirmstruggletoclosedeals,thereisoftenaproblemwiththeirpromises.Ifidealclientsdeeplydesiretheresultsyoucandeliver,haveadequatebudget,andhaveabusinessreasontotakeaction,moreoftenthannotyou’llwintheirbusiness.Butwhengapsexistbetweenidealclient’sgoalsandyourpromises,closeratessuffer.Thegoalofthisstrategyistoidentifygapsbetweenidealclients’desiresandyourpromisesandcreatestrategiestoclosethosegaps.

Strategy 3: Identify Gaps Where You Should Make Changes

Discover The Disconnect Onceyou’vebuiltyouridealclientpro-fileandanalyzedanimportantservice,youareinagoodpositiontocomparethetwo.Thisisapowerfulexercisethatwillclearlydemonstratewhereyouneedtomakechangestoyourmes-sagessotheybecomemorepersuasiveandyouwinmoredealsandincreaseprofits.ItisoftenatthispointinthisprocessthatPSexecutivesbegintomakethefollowingobservations:

• TruthInAdvertising–somePSexecutivesbecomeconcernedthatthisexerciseisleadingthemtoapointwheretheysimplytellclients

andprospectwhattheywanttohearratherthanmakingsubstantivechangestowhataPSfirmactuallydoes.Restassured,thisexerciseisnotheadinginthatdirection.Youhavetounderstandwherethegapsliebeforeyoucreateaplantoad-dressthem.

• ThisIsALotOfWork–yesitis.Thisstrategywillcallfornotonlychangestothewayyoupackageandpresentyourservices,butalsochangestotheactualservicesanddeliverablesthemselves.Makenomistakeaboutit.

• ACrossroads–thisisthemomentwhereyougettoseewhatthemarketwants,whattheycareabout,andhowyoustackupagainstthosedesires.Nowyouhaveadecision

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tomake.Willyouputtheworkintore-positioningyourservicesandsalesandmarketingmessages?Isitreallyworththeeffort?Onlyyoucananswerthisquestion.

Steps To SuccessBeginthisexercisebylistingthekeyconcernsandresultsthatidealclientscareaboutdeeply.Thenlisttheprom-isesfromyourservice.Analyzethetwoandthenrecordthemajorgapsthatyousee.Rankeachgapinorderofimportance.Somecriteriafordecidingthesignificanceofthegapcaninclude:

• Expectations–doidealclientsex-pectationssosignificantlyoutweighyourabilitytodeliverthatitisnotworthittotrytoaddressthoseex-pectations?

• Profitability–doidealclientex-pectationsdramaticallyexceedthepricetheyarewillingtopay,nega-tivelyimpactingprofitabilityandmakingchangestoyourserviceunattractivetoyou?

• Messaging–canyousubstantiallyimprovethepositioningofyourservicesimplybychangingyourmessagingandpromises?Thisisanidealsituationbecauseitwillincreasetheattractivenessoftheserviceandallowyoutochargemoreforit–allwithoutimpactingyourcostofoperationsandprofit-ability.

• Adjustments–canyoumakeafewminorupgradestodeliverables,yourmethodology,orotheropera-tionalcomponentsandthenre-packagetheservicetomakeitmoreattractivetoidealclients?Thisisalsoaverydesirablesituationbecauseitempowersyoutochargemorewithonlyminordecreasestoprofitability.

Finally,listsomestrategiesforhowyouwillclosethegapbetweenidealclients’keyconcernsanddesiredresultsandyourservice’spromises.Somecriteriafordefiningstrategiestoclosethegapscaninclude:

• Impact–howmuchmoreattractivecanyoumaketheservicebyclosingthegaps?

• Revenue–howmuchmorerevenuecanyougeneratebyclosingthegaps?

• ClientAcquisition–howmanymorenewclientscanyouacquirebyclos-ingthegap?

• HardCosts–howmuchwillitcostyou,intermsofcollateralre-printsandotherhardcosts,tocompletethiswork?

• OpportunityCosts–ifyouchoosenottoclosethegaps,whatopportu-nitiesmightyoumiss?

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Strategy 3 Exercise: Identify Gaps Where You Should Make Changes

Comparetheidealclientprofileandthepromisesofyourservicebycompletingtheexercisebelow.Useabbreviatedstatementsfortheworkyou’vecompletedthusfar.

Ideal Client Profile

Key Concerns

Challenges:(whatkeepsthemupatnightworrying?)

Challenge1

Challenge2

Challenge3

Opportunities:(whatdotheydreamofaccomplishing?)

Opportunity1

Opportunity2

Opportunity3

Goals They Want To Achieve:

Goal1

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Goal2

Goal3

Goal4

Goal5

Your Service Profile

Promises Made To Clients

ValueProposition

Results

Result1

Result2

Result3

Result4

Result5

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Benefits

Benefit1

Benefit2

Benefit3

Benefit4

Benefit5

Deliverables

Deliverable1

Deliverable2

Deliverable3

Deliverable4

Deliverable5

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Gaps Between Ideal Clients’ Key Concerns And Desired

Results And Your Service’s Promises

Gap1

Gap2

Gap3

Gap4

Gap5

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Strategies To Close The Gaps Between Ideal Clients’ Key Concerns And Desired Results And Your Service’s

Promises

Strategy1

Strategy2

Strategy3

Strategy4

Strategy5

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Earlierwenotedtheinherentdangerofputtingtacticsinfrontofstrategy.ToooftenweseePSexecutivesmappingoutatwelve-monthplanonaspreadsheetandinsertingactivities,likewebi-nars,emails,andothertactics.Sometimesitseemstheactualcontentoftheseactivitiesisalmostanafter-thought.Intheend,youdowanttohaveagoodplanlaidoutlogicallyinaspread-sheet,butthisisnottheplacetostart.Pullmarketing,bycom-parison,beginswiththemessageandemphasizesthereasonsthemarketshouldpayattentiontoyourfirm.Thegoalofthisstrategyistohelpyoudevelopahighlyeffectiveclientacquisitionplanbasedonpull-marketingconcepts.

Strategy 4: Build A Client Acquisition Plan Based On A Pull Strategy

Pull Marketing Defined Pullmarketingdrawsidealclientsintoyourbrandbygivingthemcontentandideasthataremeaningfultothem,causingthemtowanttoreachouttoyou.Itispredicatedonthenotionthatidealclientsarealreadyincrediblybusyandonlyifyouprovidethemsome-thingofvalue,usuallyforfree,willtheypayattentiontoyou.

Pushmarketing,ontheotherhand,ispredicatedonthenotionthatifyoutellyourtargetaudiencewhoyouare,whatyoudo,andwhytheyshoulddobusi-nesswithyou-andtellthemrepeat-edly-theywilllistenandeventuallydo

businesswithyou.Oneofthebestexamplesofpullmar-ketingisthoughtleadership.Weoftensaythatifyoutellclientshowtosolvetheirmostpressingproblems,theywillpayattentionandbegintoconceiveofyouasasourceofsolutions.Thisisanexcellentstartingpointforbuildingaclientrelationship.Sohowcanyoudothis?

Begin With The End In Mind Aneffectivepullmarketingstrategyfocusesaroundjustafewkeythemesdividedupintospecificmessagesdeliveredacrossahandfulofcam-

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paigns.Thinkofthisasyoureditorialcalendar,thekindthattradepublica-tionsuse.Tobuildahighlyeffectivepullmarket-ingstrategy,youneedtwothings:greatcontentandacampaignplan.Hereareafewsuggestionsforbuildingsolidcontentandaneditorialcalendar:

• UtilizeTheConcernsNotedFromYourIdealClientProfile–ifitmat-terstoidealclientsitshouldmattertoyou.Selectthetopthreeidealclientconcernsandcreateanedito-rialcalendarwhereyouplanout10-12messagesthataddresstheseconcerns.

• TellYourMarketHowToSolveTheirMostPressingProblems–ev-eryidealclienthasgoalstheywanttoaccomplish.Youdrawthemintoyourbrandwhenyoutellthemhowtoaccomplishthosegoals.Andre-member,justbecauseyoutellthemhowtosolvetheirgreatestchalleng-es,thatdoesn’tmeantheycanorwilldoitindependentlyofyou.Butifyoushowthemyouknowhowtoaccomplishgoalsthattheycareaboutdeeply,theywillbefarmorelikelytocontactyouthanacompeti-torwhenthetimeisright.

• ProvideInsightsThatComeDirectlyFromYourExperiences–partofthegoalofthisexerciseistopositionyouandyourbrandasathoughtleader.Themoreyoucanrelateinsightsthatarisedirectlyfromyourexperiences,themoreyouwillbeperceivedasaleader.

• UseCaseStudiesAndMarketResearch–wheneverpossible,

developandusecasestudiesandmarketresearch.Thisaddsasenseofobjectivityandcredibilitytoyourmarketingstrategies.

• EmphasizeGoodClearCommunica-tion–makeyourwritingascleanandassimpleaspossible.Avoidtechnicaltermsandmaintainacon-versational,yetprofessional,tone.Hireaproofreaderandpublishqual-ityfinalpieces.

Theprimarygoalofyourcampaignplanistoinsertyourbrandintothebuyingcycleofasmanyidealclientsaspossible.Yourcampaignsshouldbetactical,short-term,anddesignedtoelicitbuyingbehaviorquicklyfromidealclients.Someofthesetypesoftacticsinclude:• Direct-responsecampaignstargeted

atspecificbuyersinsidespecificbusinesses

• Emailmarketingcampaignswithwhitepapersandothervalue-basedoffers

• Webinars• Telemarketingcampaigns• Socialnetworkingcampaigns• Websiteupgrades• Onlinevideoandaudiotools• Searchenginemarketing• Referralincentiveplansforexisting

clients• Strategicallianceswithkeypartners

whohaveclientswhofityouridealclientprofile

Maptheseacrossatwelve-monthplanandassignspecificmessagestospe-cifictactics.

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Strategy 4 Exercise: Build A Client Acquisition Plan Based On A Pull Strategy

Developyoureditorialcalendarbelowandthenapplymessagestospecifictactics.

Editorial Calendar (Content):

KeyThemes:(majortopicsofimportancetoidealclients)

Theme1

Theme2

Theme3

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Theme4

Theme5

Messages:(yourtreatmentofthethemesdividedintospecifictopicswhereyouprovideinsightsandexpertise)

Message1

Message2

Message3

Message4

Message5

Message6

Message7

Message8

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Message9

Message10

Message11

Message12

Campaign Plan (Tactics):

Direct-response

Emailmarketing

Webinars

Telemarketing

Socialnetworking

Websiteupgrades

Onlinevideoandaudiotools

Searchenginemarketing

Referralincentiveplans

Strategicalliances

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PSexecutiveswithoutdatedorincorrectdata,orworseyet–nodataatall–arenotinagoodpositiontomakecoursecorrec-tionswherenecessary.Inourexperience,certaintacticsandmessagespullmuchmoreeffectivelythanothers.What’smore,itisnearlyimpossibleattheoutsetofacampaigntoknowwhicharethewinnersandwhicharejustokay.Trackingsystemsgreat-lyimproveyourabilitytotargettherightmessagesattherightaudienceandincreasedeal-flow.Thegoalofthisstrategyistohelpyouimplementtrackingsys-temsthatprovideactionableintelligencesoyoucancontinuallyrefineyourcampaigns.

Strategy 5: Execute Your Pull Strategy And Track Results

Implement Tracking Systems Nowthatyourclientacquisitionplanisreadytoexecute,therearefewmorefinalstepsyoushouldtaketoensurethegreatestsuccesspossible.Someofthosestepsinclude:

• Integration–integratetrackingintokeybusinessprocesses,especiallytheadditionofcontactstoyourCRM.WerecommendthatyoucreatetechnologypoliciesthatwillnotallowanewcontacttobeaddedtotheCRMunlesstheirsourceoforiginisidentified.

• Training–trainyourstafftousethetrackingsystemseffectivelyandalwaystoutthebenefitstothemofknowingwhichtacticsareproduc-

ingthebestresults.• Monitoring–werecommendthat

youmonitoryourCRMatleastweeklyandlookforthesourceofnewcontactsinthedatabase.

• Assessment–definea“check-in”pointwhenyouwillanalyzedatafromasetperiodoftimeandassesswhatchanges,ifany,youwanttomaketoyourclientacquisitionplan.Wetypicallyrecommendaquarterlyassessment.

Somekeydatapointsthatareimpor-tanttotrackovertimeinclude:• WebStatistics–thereareafew

differenttypesofstatisticstotrackhere:totaluniquevisitorsmonthly,lengthofvisits,totalpagesclicked

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peruser,andspecificactionssuchasregisteringforwhitepapers,webi-nars,andotheractivities.

• EmailStatistics–whetheryouman-ageemailin-houseoruseaservicebureau,itisadvisabletotracktotalmessagessent,totalopens,andclick-throughstolandingpages.

• SourceOfNewLeads–ifyourCRMsystemwillallowit,setupafilterthatyoucanrunweeklyfornewcontactswhohaveenteredyourdatabase.Thenfilterareportonthesourceofthesenewcontacts.Besuretohaveaunique“source”foreverycampaignyourun.

• Messages–betweenweblandingpages,specificemails,andcoor-

dinatedcampaigns,youshouldbeabletoseerelativelyquicklywhichmessagesseemtoelicittherightbehaviorfromyourtargetaudience.Thisdataisinvaluableforrefiningcampaignsandmakingthemassuc-cessfulaspossible.

• CloseRates–ifyourCRMwillallowit,trackleadsallthewaythroughthesalesfunnel,fromfirstcontacttoproposaltoclose.Thenlookfortrendsatboththecontentandcampaignlevel.Ifyoucanidentifyspecificcampaignsandmessagesthatproduceagreaternumberofnewclients,youcanrepeatthemknowingtheywillimpactrevenue.

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Intoday’stougheconomicclimate,PSfirmsneedtomaximizetheirresourcestoachievethegreatestsuccesspossible.Thesefivestrategies,whenimplementedeffectively,haveproducedoutstandingresultsforTheShattuckGroupandourclients.Whiletheyrequireconcertedefforttorealizetheirfullpotential,theywillimpactacquisitionoftherightclients,revenue,andgrowth.Isyourfirmreadytogrow?

Conclusion

Final ThoughtsAnidealclientisabusinessthatyourfirmisbestsuitedtoserve.Relation-shipswithidealclientsproduceout-standingresultsforboththeclientandyourfirm.PSfirmswhohaveanabun-danceofidealclientsexperienceben-efitslikegrowth,stability,worksatisfac-tion,andthebreathingroomtheyneedtoplanforthefuture.Tocaptureanever-increasingshareofidealclients,youneedtounderstandthemdeeply.Ifyoudonot,youshouldconductqualitativeandquantitativemarketresearch.Yourdeepunder-standingofidealclientspositionsyoutotailoryourservicesandpromisestothem.Asyouimplementapull-mar-ketingstrategytoattractthem,you’llnoticethattheyperceiveyouasboth

anexpertandasourceofgreatideasandsolutions.Tomaximizetheimpactofyourcam-paignsandmessages,implementtrack-ingsystemsacrosskeymetricssuchasweb,email,messagesthatpullmoreeffectivelythanothers,andultimatelycloserates.

How We Can Help

AtTheShattuckGroupweunderstandhowmuchworkthesestrategiesre-quire.Butthegoodnewsisthatyoudonothavetogoitalone.Wewouldbehappytohaveaconversationabouthowwecansupportyouthroughthisprocess.Tobeginthisconversation,callustodayat877-296-5301orsendanemailtoinfo@theshattuck-group.com.

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TheShattuckGroupisafull-servicemarketingfirmthatspecial-izesinprofessionalservices.Weareahighlyfocusedteamofbranding,marketing,andbusinessdevelopmentexperts.BasedoutoftheSiliconValleyinSanJose,California,weserveselectclientsnationwide.

About The Shattuck Group

Our Mission And VisionOurmissionissimple–wehelpourcli-entsgrow.Thisisouronlypurposeforexistingasabusiness.EverymemberofTheShattuckGroupteamknowsthismantraandworkseverydaytomakeitrealforourclients.Ourvisionisequallysimple–weonlygrowwhenourclientsgrow.Weknowthatoursuccessisunequivocallytiedtoourclients’success.Thisprovidestremendousmotivationineverythingwedo.Everystrategywerecommend,everytacticweimplement,andeveryprojectwemanage–they’reallde-signedtohelpourclientsachievethegoalsthatmattermosttothem.

Our Value PropositionWeempowerourclientstoachievethegoalsthataremostimportanttothem.Increasedrevenue.Increasedprofits.Increaseddemand.Allofourservices,ourideas,andourenergyarefocusedonthesegoals.

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Our ServicesWeachievetheseobjectiveswithauniquecombinationof10servicesthatarecustomizedforeachclient.We’velearnedthroughmarketresearch,ourexperiences,andempiricalobservationthatthese10serviceshavethegreatestimpactonourclient’stopandbottomlines:• MarketResearch• PositioningStrategies• MarketingPlans• MessagingDevelopment• BrandIdentity• BrandAwareness• ClientAcquisition• LeadGeneration• ThoughtLeadership• VideoDevelopment

Our Background

TheShattuckGroupwasfoundedin1998.Formorethanadecade,we’vebeenhelpingprofessionalservicesfirmsgrow,sometimesexponentially.Wehavethesuccessstoriestoproveit.Forinstance,wehelpedAvcomgrowfrom40milliontoover300millionintoplinerevenue.Ifyou’dliketohearmoreaboutthesestories,pleasesendanemailtoinfo@theshattuckgroup.comwiththetitle“successstories.”Ifyouwouldliketolearnmoreabouthowwecanhelpyourfirm,pleasecallustodayat877-296-5301.Oryoucansendanemailtoinfo@theshattuck-group.com.

RandyShattuckisaseniormarketingexecutiveandfounderofTheShattuckGroup,amarketingfirmthatempowersPScom-paniestoreachtheirgrowthobjectives.For20yearsRandyhashelpedPSfirmsgrowbybuildingstrongbrands,generatingleads,acquiringtherightclients,andpositioningeffectively.

About The Author

Randy Shattuck’s BackgroundBeforeTheShattuckGroup,RandyhelpedAcclaimTechnology,aSiliconValleysystemsintegrator,growfrom10to120millioninsalesin3years.Asmarketingstrategistforthatfirm,Randyleadthechargetothemarketbybuildingabrandthatgrewfromabou-tiquetechnologysalesorganizationtoatrueenterprise.UnderRandy’smarket-ingleadership,thecompanygrewfromafewemployeesinoneofficetomorethan130employeesinofficesthrough-outthegreaterWesternUnitedStates.PriortoAcclaimTechnology,RandyheadedthemarketingfunctionofCon-tecMicroelectronics,helpingthatfirmdoubleitsrevenues.Underhismar-ketingleadership,Contec’sbrandgrewfromarelativelyunknowncompanytoarecognizedindustryplayer.Randynegotiatedthelargestcontracteverinthatfirm’shistory,resultingintremen-dousnewsalesandprofits.

Forthepast11yearsRandyhasleadTheShattuckGroup,helpingdozensofPSfirmsinavarietyofindustriesreal-izetheirgoals.Randy’sbackgroundisinmarketing,behavioralscience,strategy,andrheto-ric.HeisafeaturedcolumnistinPro-fessionalServicesJournalandRain-Today.Heisasought-afterspeaker,writer,andthinker.Youcanemailhimatrandy@theshat-tuckgroup.comandvisithisfirmonlineatwww.theshattuckgroup.com.

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Notes

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PLAN. BRAND. EXPAND.

www.theshattuckgroup.cominfo@theshattuckgroup.com

877-296-5301