Make 2013 Your Year to Grow

New Year. New Goals. How will you find growth this year? There are lots of new tools out there to help you market your firm and grow your top line, but sometimes the best new tools are the old tools implemented in a different or better way.

Grow Your Client Relationships

Chances are you’ll be spending more time with clients this year. You have to pay attention to client service and retention if you want to grow successfully. And even if you don’t have annual work scheduled with clients, it’s a good time of year to check in with them.  Keeping just three things in mind during these client interactions will help you cement valuable relationships, identify ideas for cross-selling, and generate leads for new business.  Challenge yourself to implement three valuable activities every time you are going to see a client this year:

• Have a client satisfaction conversation
• Ask clients a few high gain questions to identify business needs 
• Take advantage of positive feedback by asking for a referral or testimonials

Grow Your Client Base with New Business Leads

Direct marketing – communicating to your target market via snail mail or email and following up via phone– has long been one of the most effective ways to generate leads for new clients.  But as your competition gets more active and prospects are busier, it gets tougher and tougher to see strong results from direct marketing campaigns.  The best way to do that is to talk to the right targets about something highly relevant and timely, and offer to help in a way others can’t by positioning yourself as a specialist vs. a generalist.

Hint:  Smaller, more focused/targeted campaigns tend to produce higher results, fit better within tight marketing budgets, and produce a more positive return on your investment.  Follow these three rules for success:

• Right Targets:  Who are your best clients?  To whom do you have the best story to tell?  What size companies, where are they located, in what specific industry?  There is nothing wrong with implementing a campaign to 50 – or even fewer – companies, if that’s truly the right audience for your messages.
• Right Topic:  What is happening RIGHT NOW in your targets’ world?  Urgency adds relevancy to any topic, so think about recent and upcoming events in your marketplace to determine the best topic for your campaign.
• Right Message:  What sets you apart from your competitors?  Not only does your message need to be relevant and timely, but you need to differentiate yourself from all the other offers your prospects receive to get their attention and earn the right to meet with them.

Fundamental ideas. Simple tools. Better results. Here’s to 2013!